5 replies to this topic

[bobdrake12]

http://news.bbc.co.u...fic/2898933.stm



Mystery bug doctor dies (excerpts)


The World Health Organization expert who first identified the mystery pneumonia that has claimed dozens of lives has himself died of the disease, the UN agency has announced.

Dr Carlo Urbani, a 46-year-old Italian and an expert on communicable diseases, had identified Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) in an American businessman admitted to hospital in Vietnam in February.

The WHO said Dr Urbani's early detection of SARS had led to increased global surveillance, enabling the identification and the subsequent isolation of those with the disease to slow its spread.

At least 54 people are known to have died of the disease, and more than 1,400 people to be suffering from it.

[bobdrake12]

http://news.bbc.co.u...lth/2856735.stm



Tuesday, 25 March, 2003, 14:35 GMT

Q&A: Mystery pneumonia


A lethal infection has prompted the World Health Organisation to issue a global alert to doctors and governments.

The respiratory illness has so far killed at least 18 people - and perhaps as more than 50 - and BBC News Online reports what is understood about it so far.

What do we know about the source of the infection?

The first reports of an infection followed the death of a US businessman in Hong Kong.

The man had visited China and Vietnam - hospital staff there and in Hong Kong subsequently fell ill.

However, it now seems possible that he was not the source of the Hong Kong outbreak.

It is possible, though not confirmed, that the initial source of the infection was China, where an outbreak of respiratory illness in Guangdong province has killed 31 people.

What form does the illness take?

Known symptoms of the infection are similar to those experienced by an influenza sufferer, including high fever, headache sore throat, and cough.

In some cases pneumonia has developed, with patients finding it very hard to breathe - some have required artificial ventilation in hospital.

In the absence of a better description, the World Health Organisation have termed it "Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome" (SARS).

What is it, and how is the illness transmitted?

Scientists now believe they have confirmed the culprit for the disease.

The scientists, from the US Centers for Disease Control, believe it is Corona virus.

This family of viruses is well known as a cause of the common cold.

This is possibly a new strain which has mutated to become more dangerous to humans.

Nothing is certain however - there is the chance that while this virus can be found in many people who have fallen ill, it is simply one factor in the illness, and the principal symptoms have been caused by another bug.

Initial reports suggest that the incubation period of the illness is less than seven days.

So far, there have been 487 cases outside China and 18 deaths.

Although not confirmed, it is likely that infection takes place through droplets of body fluids - produced by sneezing or coughing.

The illness has already reached North America and Europe because of the easy availability of air travel.

What can I do to protect myself?

Not a great deal, should the illness become established in the UK.

Professor John Oxford, a virology expert from Queen Mary's College in London, told BBC News Online: "There's no much you can do to avoid this, unless you go and live as a hermit."

The Public Health Laboratory Service and Department of Health are not yet advising people not to travel to the Far East.

Professor Oxford added: "If I had a holiday in the Far East booked this week, I certainly wouldn't cancel it."

Some people in Hong Kong have taken to wearing face masks, but it is unclear exactly how much protection these would offer against viral particles.

The illness has been compared to the 1918 flu pandemic. Is this really the case?

No. It's fair to say that the WHO was concerned about it, particularly as when it didn't yet know what it was.

The mortality rate for the illness is approximately 4% - higher than many respiratory infections.

However, the 1918 pandemic killed as many as 40 million, so this infection is not quite as serious yet.

What are governments and experts - and airlines - doing to stop it?

The WHO global alert triggered responses from health experts in dozens of countries.

Doctors have been asked to look out for cases, particularly arising in patients who have recently returned from abroad, and notify public health services so that the spread of the illness can be monitored.

Airlines have been asked to look out for passengers who appear unwell while checking in.

They have also been advised to disinfect aircraft in a bid to stop its spread.

In hospitals, staff have been instructed to use "barrier nursing" to try to prevent more infections.

What advice does the UK government have for travellers?

The Department of Health says travellers returning to the UK from any affected area since 23rd February should seek medical advice if they have suddenly developed a high fever, or one other symptom of pneumonia.

These include cough, sore throat or shortness of breath, or muscle aches.

At present, the government is not advising people to avoid travel to affected areas.

[bobdrake12]

http://story.news.ya...tery_illness_45

Sun, Mar 30, 2003

Hong Kong reports 60 new cases as fears grow over mystery illness (excerpts)

By MARGARET WONG, Associated Press Writer


HONG KONG - Hong Kong health officials on Sunday reported 60 more people had fallen ill with a deadly flu-like disease, more than half of them in one apartment complex, pushing the number of infections worldwide past 1,600.


Hong Kong and Singapore each reported one new death from severe acute respiratory syndrome, or SARS, bringing the global toll to at least 57.


Thailand and Singapore stepped up monitoring at airports, while the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (news - web sites) suggested postponing nonessential travel to mainland China, Hong Kong, Singapore or Hanoi.


The U.S. experts warned that no treatments tested against SARS has been effective, and Singapore's health minister said that the disease is more contagious that previously thought and that some people could transmit it to as many as 30 or 40 others.


"We run the risk of a huge new cluster of infected people, which could start a chain reaction," Health Minister Lim Hng Kiang told a news conference.


The World Health Organization (news - web sites) has expressed concern over the increasing spread of the disease in Hong Kong, where new SARS cases have picked up pace in the past few days. Hong Kong is the second-hardest hit place after mainland China, which has reported some 800 cases and 34 deaths.

Hong Kong has now reported 530 cases of SARS, although officials also noted that 60 patients here have recovered and been discharged. A 74-year-old woman, with a history of health problems, became Hong Kong's 13th fatality early Sunday.

Thirty-six of the new cases of SARS came from Hong Kong's Amoy Gardens apartment complex, where a victim recently spread the disease and it took hold, according to a Health Department statement. Some frightened residents have moved out and medical teams have gone through the apartments to check for SARS — while some minibus drivers won't even stop there anymore.

Between 110 and 120 SARS cases have come from Amoy Gardens, which is located in Kowloon Bay, a government spokeswoman said Sunday night, using customary anonymity.

The Geneva-based WHO says the disease is spreading via international travelers, and nations across Asia are fighting to contain the illness.

[bobdrake12]

http://www.cnn.com/2...ness/index.html

CDC: Mystery illness spreads more easily than first thought (excerpts)
From Elizabeth Cohen
CNN Medical Correspondent
Saturday, March 29, 2003 Posted: 5:36 PM EST (2236 GMT)


ATLANTA, Georgia (CNN) -- The mystery illness that has sickened 1,550 people worldwide appears to spread more easily than was first thought, said Dr. Julie Gerberding, director of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Earlier this month, when cases of the mystery illness started appearing in North America, health officials thought it could be spread only by close, face-to-face contact, such as that which occurs between a doctor and a patient or among family members.

The disease, which has killed 54 people in 13 countries, most of them in mainland China and Hong Kong, is called Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome, or SARS.

"The potential for infecting large numbers of people is great," Gerberding told reporters Saturday. "We may be in the early stages of what could be a larger problem. On the other hand, this is new and we have a lot of questions about the overall spread."

[Limitless]

Hi Bob. Last I checked a few days ago some Canadian scientists had narrowed down SARS even more than the Hong Kong researchers, and linked SARS with measels.....I believe this could mean SARS could be spread as easily as a could/flu, but I'll check for some more good information.......is it just me, or do humans in positions of power always let faith get in the way, and HOPE that a problem is less severe than it probably is, and goes away on its own [?] ......Ontario's medical officer of health has been a little to cavalier about this until recently, to my liking......now no unnecessary new visitors are allowed in Toronto hospitals, and masks are being worn by staff. I'm not sure why it took this long. [unsure]

[Limitless]

Mar. 31, 2003. 01:30 PM

Toronto Star Website

Sick Kids hospital treating 5 children for SARS
FROM CANADIAN PRESS

The Hospital for Sick Children confirmed today that it is treating two probable and three suspected cases of SARS.
The suspect cases are under investigation, said hospital spokeswoman Lisa Lipkin.
She would not disclose any information about the ages of the children or how they were faring.
"I'm not at liberty to give any information out," said Lipkin. ``It's patient confidentiality."
On Sunday, Dr. Colin D'Cunha, Ontario's chief medical officer of health revealed that for the first time in Canada a child — a 21 month old — was among the probable SARS patients in Ontario.
Lipkin confirmed that child is being treated at Sick Kids.
She would not say whether the children are believed to have links to the cluster of cases emanating from an east-end hospital where one of the original SARS patients was treated before health-care workers realized they were facing a highly contagious and occasionally deadly new disease that required high level infection containment measures: gowns, gloves, goggles and masks.
"Dr. D'Cunha's going to have to answer all those questions. All I can really do is confirm that we do have some probable and suspect cases. But anything about those cases, he's going to have to answer those questions," Lipkin said.
Waves of cases have radiated from that first patient.
As a result, the hospital, Scarborough Grace and a second hospital, York Central in Richmond Hill, north of Toronto, have been closed to new patients.
A patient who died on the weekend from severe acute respiratory syndrome was infected at Scarborough Grace but was transferred to York Central. It was several days before officials at York Central realized the patient was coming down with SARS; they hadn't been taking adequate precautions and by then two nurses were infected.
Canada has roughly 100 probable and suspect SARS cases, most of whom are in the greater Toronto area. Four people in Canada have died of the disease.