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| Science magazine: SARS weaker than flu |
| CCTV.COM 2003-05-26 15:05:59 |
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SARS may be less contagious than the familiar flu, and sound public health measures should be effective in curbing its spread. This encouraging message is from two reports from the latest issue of Science magazine.
The product of international collaboration, the two reports mark the first quantitative analysis of the spreading pattern of SARS and the efficacy of public prevention measures from the perspective of communicable disease study.
Their research shows that on average, every initial SARS case is capable of inducing another two to 3.6 infections, which turns out to be weaker than ordinary respiratory illnesses. Researchers from the US and Canada also found the combination of early testing and early quarantine can efficiently suspend the spread of SARS.
They also suggest that Hong Kong's experience demonstrates one of the optimal approaches is to minimize contacts of infected people in hospitals and communities with healthy people.
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Editor: Inner Wu CCTV.com
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