LOOKING BEYOND SARS

FEAR OF THE UNKNOWN ISA POWerful emotion. Severe acute respiratory syndrome, or SARS, has been exacting a heavy economic toll since it began infecting people throughout the world. But many businesspeople in Asia believe that fear of the disease is exaggerated. Although some Hong Kong residents are still wearing masks, catching SARS is now far less likely than getting hit by a vehicle while crossing the street. The handful of new SARS cases still surfacing daily in Hong Kong is a small fraction of the 42 daily injuries from traffic accidents recorded on average last year by the Hong Kong police. Even in mainland China, panic over the disease appears to be overdone. It may be spreading in Beijing, but there are only a few cases in Shanghai. In Nanjing, no one has come down with SARS for more than 10 days. But foreign tourists and businesspeople are steering clear of the old Chinese capital, ...