US model pushed for UK managers

epicentre of the epidemic in Guangzhou, the provincial capital of Guangdong, found that no-one was wearing one. The majority of journalists dealt with the underlying uncertainties of the story rather well. Using information from national laboratories and the World Health Organization, they reported the initial pinpointing of the causative agent as a paramyxovirus, the subsequent implication of a coronavirus and later suggestions that both organisms may be involved. Even the identification techniques used, from simple morphology under the electron microscope to serology and sequence studies, were explained. So too were possible modes of spread, from initial assumptions of airborne transmission to later suspicions that direct person-to-person contact or fomites were more important. Several newspapers and broadcasters also addressed practical issues likely to be of concern to their readers. They explained, for example, that the death rate was similar to that of influenza — but that elderly persons and those with heart, lung and other chronic conditions were at particular risk. Although no specific treatments were available, prompt hospitalisation, oxygen therapy and nursing care could save the lives of vulnerable individuals. Less impressive were those newspaper, radio and TV correspondents who failed to distinguish between the disease and the organism(s) responsible for it. The Sun talked of 'the killer bug SARS'. 'Laboratories across the world renewed their efforts to identify the elusive virus known as SARS,' said The Daily Telegraph. 'The disease, since named SARS, is believed to be a virulent form of coronavirus — a lethal cousin of the common cold,' said The Sunday Times. Current Biology Vol 13 No 9 R340 think it is a single coronavirus — a superstrong version of the common cold. But others are suggesting that SARS is a pair of viruses.' To make matters worse, a later passage in the same article read: 'Tests have been devised to test for the coronavirus: you can have it, yet not have SARS. And some people who have had SARS do not have any trace of the coronavirus.' An unusual aspect of media coverage of the epidemic has been the many articles on its potential financial consequences. 'Is the world economy in danger of catching a nasty cold from the deadly flu-like virus hitting Asia?' asked The Independent. 'Growth projections for key economies in the Pacific Rim are being slashed. Conferences, concerts and summits are being cancelled in growing numbers. The WHO has advised a ban on …