Business Briefs.

(From South China Morning Post)

NEW PRIORITIES

Trends in severe acute respiratory syndrome (Sars) indicate that healthy people, with early detection of the disease, have less risk of death than others.

Couple this with preventive measures and, even though there is no vaccine available today, most of us can still go about our daily lives without fear of death from Sars. The key is to have a strong immune system and a healthy environment. Vietnam, another neighbour of China, seems to have effectively halted its Sars outbreak. What can be learned and applied locally and globally so far about Sars? What caused Sars - was it the seasonal eating of snakes or other game in Guangdong, as some professionals have suggested? It seems that we have a steady flow of viruses generated in this part of the world: is Sars just another of a long line of related viruses? The WHO has defined health as "not the mere absence of symptoms or infirmities but a state of physical, psychological, spiritual and social well-being". This subjective definition is far removed from the present-day reality of what Hong Kong government departments are providing us with as a "healthy" community in which to live and …