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Thursday, February 13, 2003Chemists and stores have been swamped by people in parts of southern China fearing a mystery lung virus. Some people were wearing surgical mask in the streets, despite doctors insisting that rumours were unnecessarily fanning public fears. About 300 people were in hospital with pneumonia caused by the virus, one-third of them doctors, nurses and other health workers, an official of the provincial Disease Prevention and Control Centre said. But doctors said that so far only five people had died and not the hundreds suggested by residents in Guangdong Province near Hong Kong. Not sure what the source of the infection is. They’re speculating that it could be a new strain of the flu. It has, however, had an effect on the Chinese stock market: Shoppers cleared stores of antibiotics and queued to pay inflated prices for vinegar, which many Chinese use as a disinfectant. The panic also affected regional stock exchanges, with shares of drug companies rising, outdone only by a few vinegar-makers. posted by Sydney on 2/13/2003 07:05:00 AM 0 comments 0 Comments: |
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