SARS is just one of a series of health issues that will be facing us as the world gets more and more crowded. Ebola, HIV, West Nile, etc are all indications of our increased mobility and of the decrease in sanitary conditions in our world.
Michael Pollan has written a book called "The Botany of Desire" It is about how certain plants; the potato, tulip, apple and marijuana have formed an almost symbiotic relationship with humans. These viruses that are plaguing us so much are also forming a relationship with humans, one that ensures the survival of the virus at the expense of human life.
It is a very scary virus (?) and I'm sure we've not seen the end of its spread but until we are able to improve medical care and sanitary conditions in the parts of the world where these viruses have originated there is little hope that they can be stopped. Also, with our increased mobility they will spread with increasing speed.
I would certainly think twice about traveling to east asia or africa right now or even Toronto for that matter.
Three of my great-grandparents died from the Spanish Flu, devastating their families.
