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SARS "Index" Update

From Malaysia local paper:

Reported deaths, by country and worldwide:

• China (mainland): 131
  
• Hong Kong: 133
  
• Singapore: 22
  
• Canada: 21
  
• Vietnam: 5
  
• Thailand: 2
  
• Malaysia: 2
  
• Philippines: 2
  
• Taiwan: 1
  
• [Worldwide: 319]

Reported cases of probable infections, by countries with highest numbers and worldwide:

• China (mainland): 2,914
  
• Hong Kong: 1,543
  
• Singapore: 199
  
• Canada: 142
  
• [Worldwide: More than 4,800]

There are new probable cases found almost everyday. Sarawak (Malaysia) has new cases these few days. SARS cases found and probably spread in a hospital in Taiwan... Though WHO's latest outbreak report shows situation in Vietnam stay stabled, no underreporting of SARS cases in Shanghai, it's still no good in Shanghai and Hong Kong SARS progress. People still suffer the fear and try to move away from affected cities (Shanghai, Beijing). Malaysia is better in term of number of cases. However, the fingerpointing between Health Ministry and media revealed that people didn't really trust the ability on risk management of government. We keep hearing rumour and find people don't really trust the news announced by our government. Is it normal because of the critical outbreak, so people tend to guessing and spreading rumour? Or mainly it's just we lost the confidence on how our government handle the previous outbreak of Dengue and Nipah disease? Building trust is important, how you stand up and taking critial action ASAP, it'd calm people down and reduce the damage to the least.

Time reports on financial effect of SARS:

The financial toll, meanwhile, is already catastrophic. Economists predict that China and South Korea could each suffer some $2 billion in SARS-related losses in tourism, retail sales and productivity. Japan and Hong Kong stand to lose more than $1 billion apiece, and Taiwan and Singapore could lose nearly that much. In Canada, meanwhile, J.P. Morgan Securities Canada estimates that Toronto is losing $30 million a day. All told, says WHO, the global cost of SARS is approaching $30 billion.

More:

• SARS Info Center
  
• SMH's reporting on SARS
  
• Graph: Chain of transmission among guests at Hotel M -- Hong Kong, 2003 [Article]
  

April 28, 2003 12:21 PM | Malaysia
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