Why was SARS so deadly?

SARS symptoms initially resemble a cold, which most people will take some cold medicine and go about their day. As symptoms worsen, they might consider they have the flu and stay home in bed. The longer they go without treatment and the further the disease progresses, the more likely they are to suffer dire consequences. read more

A few readers' letters published in the South China Morning Post suggest that statistics, as in the statement 'many more people die of typical pneumonia than of severe acute respiratory syndrome', means that Sars is not as serious as the 'mass hysteria' would indicate. read more

Of the eight lab-confirmed cases of SARS in the United States, six were identified in the first month surveillance for SARS began. Five traveled to Hong Kong, two to Toronto, and one to Singapore. Among people with SARS in the United States, the majority were male (53%) with a median age of 39. read more