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Asia & Oceania group posting on GLOBOsapiens |
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SARS outbreak
hially
Joined: Oct 02
Points: 3029
Posts: 13
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Posted: 2003-04-05 03:32:00
SARS is Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome and depending on where you live, you may or may not have ever heard of it. It's a new communicable "disease" that has Asia panicking right now. Especially the Hong Kong and southerern China region (Guangdong province). This disease has had the W.H.O. issue a travel advisory against travelling to areas such as Hong Kong, China, Vietnam (Hanoi only), and Singapore as there have been a number of deaths due to the disease. Canada's Toronto is also a "hot spot" as the disease has been transmitted by air travellers that have recently been in Hong Kong or elsewhere, become infected and spread it to other countries. It's been heavily reported on in the news in Asia and Hong Kong has changed from it's usual lively state to a depressing, fear-filled place. Most people have been wearing surgical masks in public as a means of protection. It's not yet under control and many expatriate families have left already. As an expatriate in Hong Kong myself, I've tried to see all sides of the coin and find it encouraging that the disease only kills 4% of people infected. That's fairly low in the grand scheme of things. However, it is as of yet not clear exactly what the virus is, what the cure may be and no vaccine is available. Sadly, Hong Kong has been hit hard by this economically (the travel industry is dwindling rapidly here) and sociologically (other countries seem to be fearful of those from Hong Kong due to the virus). Hmmm. Hopefully, it all goes away soon. In any case, I too plan to "flee" Hong Kong for a while...I'd prefer to watch things unfold from Europe...say, from a lovely island in Greece....:) I leave today! ---
"There are many things in life that will catch your eye, but only a few will catch your heart... pursue those." -anon.
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redcentre
Joined: Dec 02
Points: 530
Posts: 28
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admin
Joined: May 02
Points: 1068
Posts: 192
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Posted: 2003-04-06 16:09:00
Hello Alice,
SARS is all over the news in Germany. The newspapers are full of pictures from people in Hong Kong wearing masks in the streets. Compared on how many peole die of an ordinary flew, SARS is still smal. Hopfully it will be under control soon.
Anyway... have a great time in Greece!!
Cheers,
Andy
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hially
Joined: Oct 02
Points: 3029
Posts: 13
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Posted: 2003-04-07 14:09:00
Hi Andy!
I'm in Morecambe, Lancashire in England at the moment. London tomorrow and then I fly to Greece for my holiday. Yeah, the SARS media coverage is very extreme but it's still nice to be out of HK for now. I hate seeing people in masks all the time, it's depressing.
I am looking forward to Greece! Hope the weather is going to be good.
Take care and hope you're well! ---
"There are many things in life that will catch your eye, but only a few will catch your heart... pursue those." -anon.
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hially
Joined: Oct 02
Points: 3029
Posts: 13
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Posted: 2003-05-11 07:41:00
Hi again,
I just returned after a month and a half long absence from Hong Kong. Just thought I'd let you travellers know that it seems that the SARS situation is stabilizing. Today there were only 2 deaths and 6 reported new cases.
I was shocked when I got to my flat and saw how much things have changed since I left HK at the start of the SARS outbreak. In addition to service and security staff wearing masks at my complex, there are disinfectant floor mats at each entrance, a table in the lobby with all sorts of anti-SARS paraphenalia such as hand disinfectant, gloves, tissues, etc. , and there are little sticker signs at each elevator and door indicating that the buttons and handles are disinfected each hour. It's really quite extreme. Perhaps it's working because SARS was quite serious when I left HK at the top of April; it's now it's mid-May and there has been a massive HK sanitation campaign .... and there has been a significant drop in new cases. Hmmmm. Maybe it worked?
I'm so glad to see improvement here and I hope it continues so that I can enjoy my expatriate life in Hong Kong again. It is a lively city that has been seriously damaged economically because of SARS. If things continue to improve at this rate, I wouldn't be surprised if the W.H.O. lifts it's travel advisory against Hong Kong soon....and if it does, don't be afraid to come to Hong Kong. As a Canadian living in Hong Kong, I can tell you that it's not as frightening as the media makes it out to be.
Cheers!
That's my two cents. ---
"There are many things in life that will catch your eye, but only a few will catch your heart... pursue those." -anon.
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