But the Harvard academic says Sars is still less contagious than other illnesses
Three-quarters of the world's population would have been infected with Sars if nothing had been done to contain the disease, a Harvard University academic said yesterday.
But Sars spreads much more slowly than many other diseases - measles is five times as infectious - said Barry Bloom, dean of Harvard's School of Public Health.
That means 'if the right public health measures are introduced, like isolation of infected people and quarantine of those who are exposed to the virus to prevent them from transmitting, the prediction is ... the epidemic will spontaneously disappear', he said.
Health authorities and others should draw the appropriate lessons from the viral outbreak, Professor Bloom said.
'While there was much hysteria and worry, Sars - if nothing had been done - would have probably run around the world and infected three-quarters of the world's population - in a theoretical sense,' said Professor Bloom.
In Hong Kong, the community and hospital staff should be prepared to recognise that Sars would not be 'the first or last infectious disease'.