From: Van oost Kenneth (kennethvanoost@belgacom.net)
Date: Wed 09 Apr 2003 - 20:23:26 GMT
----- Original Message -----
From: "Grant Callaghan" <grantc4@hotmail.com>
Derek,
> If it really is possible to track memes in the same
> way as one can track real viruses, it ought to be
> possible to produce at least as good a curve for the
> putative 'travel avoiding' meme as for the real virus.
Grant,
> We should keep in mind that memes about things like SARS are now
distributed
> over TV, radio and print media while contagion by the virus itself needs
> person to person contact in order to spread. I don't see any way to
compare
> the spread of the two things. The whole world became aware of the SARS
> virus the same day it struck the people of Hongkong. The actual
affliction
> is moving a great deal slower.
Hi all,
Yes and maybe so, but the "actual " affliction have already travelled around
the
world ! It just need time to infect us all. The problem isn 't localized
anymore_
people from all around the world went to Asia, were infected ( we think but
do not hope) and went back home. How many and where do they live !?
A sudden outburst of the disease can be immanent !
There no need to start a witch- hunt is there !?
And about the panic- bit, here are examples from Belgium !
The alderman having the power to contract a marrige of one of the ad-
joinings towns of Brussels went mad on Monday, because one of the two
people before him to be married was of Chinese origin and only a few
days in the country. He asked the couple to go out to the park ( it was
a lovely day) and to be wed there.... because after their ceremony he
expected a few 100 more for a kind of celebration.
The couple was very compliant and had a lovely day.
The alderman argued that his decision was made in the public
interest and had nothing to do with ' a possible ' infection.....
Another story goes in Liege, where a man was brought in with
very peculiar symptoms_ sweating, coughin ', the whole lot.
The general hospital went on high alert and the floor where
the man was on was sealed of.
After 2 days of intens research the doctors came to the final
conclusion, it was no Sars, but the man, who indeed came
back from Asia, was kicking the habit of using heroin_ he
didn 't get his shot when he was in Asia and became sick
along the way....
Kenneth
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