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Article: Estimated SARS Death Rate Rises to 15%; WHO Revises Method of Calculating Mortality; Illness More Deadly to Elderly
- Article from:
- The Washington Post
- Article date:
- May 8, 2003
- Author:
CopyrightThis material is published under license from the Washington Post. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Washington Post. (Hide copyright information)
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The death rate from severe acute respiratory syndrome has
increased sharply since the epidemic began, and the new lung
infection is now killing about 15 percent of victims overall, the
World Health Organization concluded yesterday.
It remains unclear whether the death rate is increasing as the
disease spreads, or whether the true death rate is simply emerging as
more data become available. In either case, the relatively high death
rate underscores the seriousness of the threat, WHO said.
"This is a disease that has a high case-fatality rate," said Klaus
Stohr, WHO's top SARS scientist. "The case-fatality rate that we're
seeing emphasizes even further the need to act decisively now."
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