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EV71 Outbreak In China Sparks Fears For Olympics

Posted by timothy on from the not-funny-at-all dept.

OMNIpotusCOM writes "CNN is reporting an outbreak of Enterovirus 71 (or EV71), that has affected more than 3700 children and killed over 20, is creating concern for the visitors and athletes expected for the Beijing Olympics in August. The virus can cause 'poliolike paralysis,' according to the article."

5 of 199 comments (clear)

  1. Consideration by Narpak · · Score: 5, Insightful

    I guess a gathering of people from all over the world, who stay for a while then go back home, does provide a certain degree of danger when it comes to spreading any type of contagious disease.

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    The Long Now Foundation
  2. Re:Should I be scared ... by piojo · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Should I be scared... of a whopping 0.5% chance of death? That's probably a hundred or a thousand times riskier than anything you've ever done.
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    A cat can't teach a dog to bark.
  3. Re:news for nerds... by justinlee37 · · Score: 5, Insightful

    I'm sorry, I think "news for nerds, stuff that matters" covers medicine, politics, and social sciences. Try to stop clicking your ball-point pen and snapping your suspenders in unbridled rage whenever someone suggests that something besides computers is nerdy, you're making the rest of us look like idiots.

  4. Re:Should I be scared ... by piojo · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Suppose that driving carries a 0.005% chance of death, and that a person drives an average of 2.5 times per day for 10 years. This person has a 45% chance of dying in a car accident during those years. Because this calculation is wrong by more than one order of magnitude, driving must actually carry less than 0.0005% of death. I rest my case.

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    A cat can't teach a dog to bark.
  5. Comment removed by account_deleted · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Comment removed based on user account deletion