Many readers have written in noting the spooky similarity between the acronyms for superfly territory SAR and super-flu pestilence SARS. Of course, they are totally different things. One stands for Special Administrative Region (Hong Kong's political status until 2047) and the latter for severe acute respiratory syndrome. But it does seem to be a bit of a branding disaster. Spotting a conspiracy, reader Andrew Work e-mailed us saying: 'Why don't they just come out and call it Hong Kong flu like they used to?' SAR (the column that can't decide what it stands for) thinks he may have a point. The early signs of SARS as listed by the World Health Organisation are insomnia, headaches, confusion, breathing difficulty and fever. All of which - except for fever - most of us have come to accept as inevitable effects of daily life in the Special Administrative Region.
