Discover and read the best of Twitter Threads about #scientificintegrity
Most recents (1)
Maybe @WHO forgot, but in 2004, the intermediate host of SARS was found within a week of diagnosing an index patient. When you know what to look for, it doesn't necessarily take years.
"When possible SARS was diagnosed in the waitress on January 2, 2004, serum, throat and rectal swabs were obtained from all 6 palm civets at the restaurant... Serum samples from employees of the restaurant were obtained on January 4."
ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/P…
ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/P…
Yes, in the past, tracing some outbreaks could take years because people had no idea what they were looking for - which species could have been the intermediate host or the ultimate virus reservoir (bats). But China already developed extensive know-how from the SARS1 outbreak...
