I would have to check back but wasn't SARS sort of downplayed in the interest of keeping the public 'calm'. The 1918 flu, once you had it if you were still alive on the 7th day you usually recovered. Not all babies came through that untouched, apparently a week of very high fevers and swelling in the brain left telltale signs that could be spotted (by a trained person) from across a fair sized room.