XXXXXXXX:
Thank you for your email. I agree that the numbers are likely to be much larger than we are currently seeing. I was very involved in the SARS response and can tell you that the CDC is quite aware of the issue of rapid spread worldwide and the likelihood that there will be many more cases in the US. I think that all systems are on alert and that state and local health departments are prepared to take action as needed. Let’s hope that the virus is less severe than SARS, and that it is contained relatively rapidly, as SARS was. Thanks so much for your communication.
XXXXXXXXXXX, MD, MS
Professor of Medicine and Public Health Sciences
Director, Center for Community Health and Prevention
Co-director, Clinical and Translational Science Institute
XXXXXXXXXXX School of Medicine
