SARS

[djonk]

Are Chinese mouthpieces and instruments play tested, before shipping? If yes, would the SARS virus (if any were present) stay alive in transit, for future transmission?

[Gandalfe]

Always clean the mouthpiece, no matter where it comes from.

[Media Lint]

This appears to be a case of Severely Assumptive Reactionary Syndrome.

And clean the mouthpiece anyway,

[kevvieg]

In case someone tells me to get a sense of humour....

I think everybody needs to gain some perspective. SARS affects a very small percentage of the population, less than the flu and is, statistacilly, much less dangerous. As with the flu, unless you already have a compromised immune system you have nothing to fear regarding the acquisition of SARS.

More importantly, SARS isn't a disease that is caused by all things Chinese, or Torontonian, for that matter. To worry about a Chinese mouthpiece (like there are any good ones) is unrealistic. It is also racist, unintentionally or not. It reminds me of the era in which people with HIV were shunned from swimming pools and the gym. Wash your hands, cover your mouth when you sneeze or cough, and don't spit in public. I am from Toronto and, trust me, the SARS jokes have worn thin. It wouldn't be so bad if any of them were original.

Take a step back: 4 million people, <300 cases, 19 deaths, most related to one another.

Then: come to Toronto. We have lotsa cool stuff, a magnificent cultural spectrum, anda great exchange rate for you American visitors. Plus we have Pat LaBarbera, Kirk MacDonald, and Mike Murley,

[DougR]

You also need a sense of proportion:

from a population of about 60 million, last year in the U.K. 99 people died falling out of bed.

The stats do not show whether they all fell out of the same bed, or not.

Or indeed how many separate incidents.

The year before last 25 people died in, I kid you not, "trouser-related" accidents.

Be careful out there.

[Subtone Sam]

"trouser-related" accidents? :lol: and what about that drummer who died in that bizarre "gardening accident";Scotland Yard said that "its better to leave the case unsolved" hmm,weird things happen in the UK!:wink:

[Troy]

...I think everybody needs to gain some perspective...To worry about a Chinese mouthpiece (like there are any good ones) is unrealistic. It is also racist, unintentionally or not...

I agree with the first snippet -- this thing is getting some over-reaction.

I disagree with the second snippet. Worrying about something is not racist. Following through with some misguided reaction might be.

[Ian]

Kevvieg, I can understand that you're a little touchy about SARS living in toronto and all, but careful please to stay with the facts. People with no known immune compromise have died from this nasty and so far poorly understood and untreatable bug. How I hope you are correct and this remains a minor little ripple and source of poor jokes.
Sadly the initial hysteria regarding HIV has proven to be well founded. It might not appear to be too nastyfrom your side but where I live and practice medicine in AFrica and our economically active population is being wiped out, we feel that we could do with a tad more hysteria, and a lot less complacency. Sure we know now that its not a gay disease and you don't getting it from walking too close to someone. But I must say that until we knew that I for one would not have blamed someone for taking what could have seemed like necessary precautions. Ignorance and fear often walk hand in hand, but I'm not sure its time to be too dismissive of SARS quite yet.