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Cases of viral respiratory illness rise sharply in China

18 Comments
By KEN MORITSUGU

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18 Comments
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Bad news and I've heard that the Chinese govt. is also suppressing the numbers so they're likely much worse.

7 ( +7 / -0 )

Bad news indeed. The masks seriously do not help against this airborne virus given that ears, skin, or eyes are means of being infected as well not just mouth or nose. Constant wash or hands, face, ears or wearing medical gloves will help a lot. Lots of vitamin C will also help. Why not quarantine folks coming from those destinations, unfortunately it means every passenger as they may have been infected by a carrier on board during the flight.

1 ( +2 / -1 )

@Madden, yeah I heard the same thing from folks out there but not being released to outsiders. My concern is that someone can take Tylonol, or Bufferin to lower their core temperature so the imaging scanner as seen above is useless.

1 ( +3 / -2 )

Bad news and I've heard that the Chinese govt. is also suppressing the numbers so they're likely much worse.

I agree.

What concerns me is that countries that are under china's influence will also be obliged to follow suit....since their leaders are way more concerned about prc money than the welfare of their own citizens. These countries will not have the guts to stop prc citizens from stepping into their countries especially after the Lunar New Year where the disease is very likely to spread on those over-stuffed and crammed public transports.

5 ( +5 / -0 )

This is one of the few times I actually agree with North Korean policy.

1 ( +2 / -1 )

Chinese tourists are coming!

1 ( +1 / -0 )

Trying to understand why most of these nasty viruses originate in the Far East. I have had the flu in Japan, and was so sick I couldnt move for a week. Is it due to mutations due to over crowding?

0 ( +2 / -2 )

@TheLongTermer

Trying to understand why most of these nasty viruses originate in the Far East. I have had the flu in Japan, and was so sick I couldnt move for a week. Is it due to mutations due to over crowding?

To my knowledge most, if not all, of these viruses come from China, not Far East in general. As to why...

Hmm, the Chinese eating habits and traditions is definitely one thing. Also the relative lack of hygiene.

Finally I think the population numbers and density in places like Wuhan also play a factor for the virus' expansion.

5 ( +5 / -0 )

Hmm, the Chinese eating habits and traditions is definitely one thing. Also the relative lack of hygiene

Its not only Chinese. Japanese puke all over the place, it dries, then gets air born, quite nasty, as is the urination in every bush.

The flu I have had in Japan is worse than anything I have ever experienced anywhere. The lack of quality air control in buildings surely contribute to this.

-2 ( +0 / -2 )

the chinese new year will blow this up... i recommend avoid crowds, japan included

3 ( +3 / -0 )

It's funny. All if a sudden China news is relorting cdc statistics on flu in the US this year making it look like a worse outbreak of sort than theirs. I wonder what their flu numbers are.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Serious disease matters to the entire world. Facts are the best tool we have. In govts where people disappear for many months because they share undesired facts, it is difficult to get to the truth.

Winter '18-'19, the CDC estimates 34,200 deaths in the US. That's about 0.01% of the population. The USA population is highly mobile. It is common for families to travel 7+ hrs to see each other multiple times a year.

Since 2009, China hasn't published numbers that can be validated for any influenza-related deaths. Many provinces don't have accurate data for a number of reasons.

Hasn't everyone notices that flights to China from almost anywhere are really cheap and have been the last year?

0 ( +0 / -0 )

The Chinese agencies suppressed information about SARS, then the Bird Flu, then the Swine Flu, and now WuHan Viral Infection.

And Chinese wonder why they aren't well received around the world.

就是因为这样,所以你们中国人才这么不受欢迎。

3 ( +3 / -0 )

TheLongTermerJan. 22  07:02 pm JST

Trying to understand why most of these nasty viruses originate in the Far East. I have had the flu in Japan, and was so sick I couldnt move for a week. Is it due to mutations due to over crowding?

1) Firstly, China is a massive country with a huge population, so geographically things are more likely to happen there just because of its size/population.

2) Certain regions also have animals which have a natural pool of viruses which potentially may jump between animals. SARS was most probably transmitted from bats to civets to humans in Southern China.

3) High density animal markets (common in Asia) are a common source of transmission. Animals are often transported long distances in close proximity to one another hastening transmission between animals and across long distances. Live markets then expose humans to the animals.

4) China has an upwardly mobile population and has been investing billions in high speed rail, air routes etc. Once someone is infected with an illness which can move between people, it can move between cities/people quickly.

5) It is Chinese New Year. Many millions of people are on the move in crowded conditions. They are expecting over 3.5BILLION trips in China over this period. It is the worlds largest mass transit events.

6) Respiratory illnesses (Like SARS and apparently this one) can be transmitted very easily between hosts.

To be honest, I think the proverbial cat is out of the bag for this one and it couldn't have happened at a worse time. Fortunately it is tracking at a 3.3% fatality rate, compared to just under 10% for SARS.

2 ( +2 / -0 )

All major buildings, hospitals and stores have ac units and air filtering systems, just as found in the west. Those air filtering are for dirt and particle removal and can't prevent the spread of virus

Yes, but most dont provide any humidification. Work in an office building in Tokyo, find out for yourself. The air quality is terrible, usually dry with few air changes, which the influenza virus loves. That, with the group shima desk enviroment, you got the perfect conditions for everyone to get sick

0 ( +0 / -0 )

TheLongTermerToday  07:36 am JST

All major buildings, hospitals and stores have ac units and air filtering systems, just as found in the west. Those air filtering are for dirt and particle removal and can't prevent the spread of virus

Yes, but most dont provide any humidification. Work in an office building in Tokyo, find out for yourself. The air quality is terrible, usually dry with few air changes, which the influenza virus loves. That, with the group shima desk enviroment, you got the perfect conditions for everyone to get sick

And exactly the same conditions inside a commercial airliner b\packed with several hundred people shoulder to shoulder.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

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