Now everyone take it easy. As I said earlier today, this thing is not bad. And the other posters are right: this is just one single guy, a researcher in a lab, just like happened in Singapore a few weeks ago. It is very containable and will not get out to general public. This was just a wake up call to get ready, but I do not think SARS is coming back this winter. Contrary to the experts, – aren’t I always? – SARS is NOT coming to TAIwan this WINter. Period.
Simple case. One guy, one lab. Contained. Don’t worry. Everyone can fly off to places far and wide without troubles, and sandman, all you got is a one day case of fatigue. Take two aspirins and call me in the morning. You will survive. Hey, isn’t that a song?
False alarm. Again, containable, contained, over. Hope the man recovers, too.
Little Buddha, ne worry pas, I am on your side this time. I am a reformed SARsaholic. Really. I’ve grown an entire new set of teeth!
exactly… that stupid SOB… every day across the world hundreds if not thousands of scientists carry out research on all manner of hellishly lethal and infectious substances, but the point is those people are highly trained and qualified professionals, who take the necessary precautions to make sure they don’t, ever, expose themselves or anyone else to the substances they’re working with… i mean how often do you hear “ooops, looks like there’s been another accidental release of smallpox and Ebola, it seems a scientist forgot to take off his lab coat before he went home”… but in incompetent, bungling, half arsed, "
Said klutzo appears to have been heading to Singapore for a SARS conference so he wasn’t only putting Taiwan at risk, but also the world’s leading authorities on SAS as well. :shock:
Please spare me a cold in the next two days.
[quote]From 12 a.m. local time on Dec. 18, travellers from Taiwan with a fever will not be allowed to leave the country without a health certificate from a hospital, the CDC said. All laboratory work on the SARS virus will be suspended until safety measures have been reviewed and approved by the government, it said.
If no new SARS case is confirmed within the next 21 days, the restrictions on travellers will be lifted, it said. [/quote]
Well there’s bound to be more SARS in Taiwan and it’s a shame, really. At my kindergarden there were four children with the flu and two who had fevers but were they sent home? nooooooo. With all this media information floating around you would think that Taiwan would be better equipped to handle SARS. What do you think?
I think as a doctor and especially dealing with viruses, and the fact that he was PROBABLY cutting corners to finish the experiment… the guy should immedtlay be reprimanded or given the boot publicly.
What will in fact happen is that this guy will get better in a couple of weeks. The news and papers will have forgotten about it then and be stuck on Chinese New Year ‘very cute’ toys or some other lame story. The institute will not do anything with this guy publicly, so as not to draw more attention. On the other hand, IF and you never know here, it did get spread to someone else in the hospital, the doctor would probably be hung by his balls for his mistake.
Then you just wait for another case like this again
I am surprised that they were quickly able to determine the cause as the doctor rushing to finish the experiment. I assume here they are only guessing.
Also how exactly did he become infected and what dodgy standards have they in place to prevent this from happening in the institute. Sure it is the responsibility of the doctor to play it safe and not take short cut but at the same time, but did anyone notice the open can of the virus sitting in the lab, was he cleaned down before he left, did he prick himself with a needle, or did he accidentally put some in his coffee
To be honest since these are military and classified ( I assume) facilities, its a little worrying all the goings-on in one of these places. It reminds me of Sellafield the nuclear reprocessing plant in the UK, and the reports that come out years after about a leak here and a problem there in the plant. They never reported it at the time, and just buried it
Of course this research is important into the virus, but I would like to take a tour of the place to see how they contain these viruses and prevent exposure to the staff
[quote]I am surprised that they were quickly able to determine the cause as the doctor rushing to finish the experiment. I assume here they are only guessing.
[/quote]
I don’t believe this part. It makes it sound as if he was running late and rushing around in order to make his flight. In fact, he finished the experiment on the 5th and didn’t fly to S’pore until the 7th. Maybe he was being negligent, but I think the CNN story is misleading. The facility in question is an ISO-approved P4 lab and as such, the staff are probably well trained. Accidents happen. About the only thing we can be sure of in this story is that slovenly, unprofessional media types are thick on the ground here.
Grass: see all of formosa’s post from last year, i mean, last SPRING. Taiwan doesn’t get it, will never get it, has never gotten it, cannot ever get it, this is Taiwan.
But as a reformed SArsaholic, I cannot and will not, say anything more. It is as it is. I think the POPE said that somewhere else, maybe on the MEl Gibson thread, but let me just repeat it here:
definitely seems like it was typically taiwanese incompetant, half arsed bungling that did it… the damn fool… let’s hope for the best case scenario… this SARS outbreak being limited to this occurance and a death toll of 1 irresponsible fool…
it surprises me that chen shui bian doesn’t use SARS as a tool against china. no, not that way. influenza and SARS both share a common incubator: the bird-swine-human excrement/nutrition exchange of south china.
we all get testy when one beaker boys pulls an “oopsie.” let us not forget that SARS and influenza spring from the primitive hygene of mainland chinese.
chen could use this point as a potent tool: how can you claim to rule us when you cannot even stop the yearly, predictable worldwide scourges that come from your filth?
the only cure for the flu will be to attack it at its roots: china’s wet markets.
wash your hands, eat healthy, and practice selective oriface access.
USA panics, notes formosa, since 2 colleagues who had close contact with Taiwan’s SARS-infected scientist are now in the United States. The man’s colleagues went to Singapore with the researcher on Dec. 7 and later traveled to the United States. They will come back here tomorrow.
J. Holy C., they’re already making you take those temperature tests before you enter a public building - all the way down in Kaohsiung, hundreds of kilos from Taipei. I don’t predict a heavy outbreak of SARS, but I do predict with confidence a heavy outbreak of SARS stickers.
You never know. It may be quite a large outbreak I was working near Kuting Elementary School last year and it was scary. Taiwanese people don’t care about quarantines…I hope everyone will be ok.
The Taiwan News today is saying online: Defense Minister Tang Yiou-ming also apologized to society for the incident and parised Chan had always been a good service man in the armed forceS, hoping society will not blame Chan for his accidental mistake.
Accidental?
Since when is NOT wearing proper protective gear an accident? Either do this the right way guys or don’t.
Well, the infected scientist is apparently the colleague of the husband of my translation teacher (she informed the class halfway through class time yesterday – and class is held in her home – fortunately I skipped anyway so this info is from my very reliable classmate, who in any event understands Chinese way better than I do):
The Chinese papers are saying that he was trying to clean up something and “forgot” to put gloves on…I guess I can understand why they demand a guarantor for foreigners getting a cell phone, if this is how their own guys handle things that one would suppose a person would want to be just a little bit careful with…
is this where they point a thermometer at any region of your body (usually some boney region) from a meter away. then smile and say go on when the thermometer reads as 27C…
I mean really if they are going to do this … they should do it right… why waste resources on taking tempertures… when the measurement they take has no meaning
[quote=“formosa”]The Taiwan News today is saying online: Defense Minister Tang Yiou-ming also apologized to society for the incident and parised Chan had always been a good service man in the armed forceS, hoping society will not blame Chan for his accidental mistake.
Accidental?
Since when is NOT wearing proper protective gear an accident? Either do this the right way guys or don’t.[/quote]
accidental or mistake… obviuosly if it was, one or the other… this would be his fault… but since it was an accidental* mistake… then well… he is not liable in any way
I’m surprised he did not go on a say
Pie say pie say… and dui bu chi.
that usually works here
“I drove over your family with my blue truck repeatedly… pie say pie say
dui bu chi… and here is 15000 NTD!”
Husband and father: “Thats ok then because you say pie say… and I would like it in 100’s umarked bills… thanks”
i say lock the bastard up in his own SARS infected lab… if he can during his days left devise a cure, then consider his debt to society repaid… if not, then so be it… his demise will be poetic retribution for his glaring stupidity and irresponsibility… why should society be forgiving of this irresponsible fool’s blatant, negligence and unprofessionalism?.. personally i’m sick and tired of having to shoulder the responsibility of people who are too stupid, ignorant and/or selfish to do it themselves… it’s mirrored at so many levels in taiwanese society… from the idiotic old fool grandmas who just ride out into the street simultaneously threatening my personal safety, whilst via their stupidity and negligence making me responsible for theirs… to some blundering fool of a lieutenant-colonel, who’s inability to carry out the basic requirements of his duties and responsibilities costs millions in our tax money, terrifies taiwan and the international community and may still lead to the deaths of innocent people… all this without mentioning his direct and deliberate violation of the most basic and well known SARS guidelines regarding reporting to a major quarantine equipped hospital immediately after developing a fever, avoiding contact with others, etc…
forgive his “accidental mistake”?.. i’d say hung, drawn and quartered might just suffice…
:? thanks for bearing with me during this rant… it’s been a long week… :?
anyway so this info is from my very reliable classmate, who in any event understands Chinese way better than I do):
