WITH so many people already infected in so many places, and the disease spreading across China, hopes that SARS might be contained are fading.
Quarantining everyone who might carry the virus is now a daunting job. Despite the best efforts of Hong Kong, Singapore and Canada, with their modern healthcare systems, and draconian restrictions on people who might be infected, the spread has only been slowed, not stopped. The omens are not good for places with poorer healthcare systems.
One thing makes the task easier: the pattern of transmission so far suggests the virus is carried by large droplets that…
