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medpundit |
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Wednesday, April 02, 2003Fortunately, we have crack microbiologists in rubber gloves and surgical masks studying cultures on three continents, and so what we know is ... well ... In Hong Kong they say the disease is caused by the paramyxovirus family, which also causes measles. But wait! The Canadians say it's caused by the metapneumovirus family, which is rarely found in humans and, when it is, normally causes respiratory disease in children. But wait! The Americans say it's a coronavirus, similar to the one found in the common cold virus. But wait! The Canadians counter that it could be two viruses, not one, and that the coronavirus part of it is a mutant animal strain of coronavirus. Listen to this quote from Frank Plummer, scientific director at the National Microbiology Laboratory in Winnipeg, "It's somewhere between a mouse corona, a bird corona and a cow corona." Thank you for being specific, Frank. Isn't this the point in the 1950s sci-fi movie where the scientists huddle around the examining table and say, "But, Dr. Streubing, it's mutating! It's changing! By Jove, it's never been seen on Earth before!" And he points out why it might have spread so easily in that Hong Kong neighborhood: You know those neighborhoods in Hong Kong where everyone is so jammed together that Jackie Chan can run across the roofs of buildings and leap out one apartment window and land in the apartment across the street? It's one of THOSE neighborhoods. Some guy could sneeze four apartments away and you could get it. Leave it Joe Bob. Only a chop-socky movie connoisseur would have picked up on that. posted by Sydney on 4/02/2003 05:21:00 AM 0 comments 0 Comments: |
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