NEWS> MEDICAL NEWS: Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARC)
- From: Gleason Sackmann <gleason@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- To: NetHappenings <nethappenings@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Mon, 17 Mar 2003 09:05:27 -0600
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Net Happenings - From Educational CyberPlayGround
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From: "David P. Dillard" <jwne@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Mon, 17 Mar 2003 10:00:27 -0500 (EST)
Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARC) is threatening to become a
worldwide epidemic and has already claimed a number of lives. Here are
some news story links about this illness.
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China
HK plays down pneumonia fears
By Wong Kwok Wah and Janus Lam
Asia Times
<http://www.atimes.com/atimes/China/EC18Ad05.html>
HONG KONG - Public sector health workers in Hong Kong are up in arms,
claiming that they have unnecessarily been exposed to danger as the price
to pay for the government trying desperately to allay the public's fears
over the spread of an atypical pneumonia that has claimed at least nine
lives world-wide.
In the face of a possible epidemic outbreak of what has been labeled
severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS), the Hong Kong government is
advising its medical staff to take no chances, while at the same time
telling its citizens and the world that there is nothing to worry about.
Angry doctors and nurses gathered on Monday at the partly-closed Prince of
Wales Hospital to voice their protest against the government's handling of
the situation.
The president of the Public Doctors' Association, Dr Leung Ka-lau, has
described the situation in Hong Kong as "red light", without giving
further details. He criticized the government for misleading the public
into believing that Hong Kong was in the "yellow light" stage.
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Source: World Health Organization
Date: 2003-03-17
WHO Issues A Global Alert About Cases Of Atypical Pneumonia; Cases Of
Severe Respiratory Illness May Spread To Hospital Staff
Science Daily
<http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2003/03/030317075118.htm>
The signs and symptoms of the disease in Hanoi include initial flu-like
illness (rapid onset of high fever followed by muscle aches, headache and
sore throat). These are the most common symptoms. Early laboratory
findings may include thrombocytopenia (low platelet count) and leucopenia
(low white blood cell count). In some, but not all cases, this is followed
by bilateral pneumonia, in some cases progressing to acute respiratory
distress requiring assisted breathing on a respirator. Some patients are
recovering but some patients remain critically ill.
Today, the Department of Health Hong Kong SAR has reported on an outbreak
of respiratory illness in one of its public hospitals. As of midnight 11
March, 50 health care workers had been screened and 23 of them were found
to have febrile illness. They were admitted to the hospital for
observation as a precautionary measure. In this group, eight have
developed early chest x-ray signs of pneumonia. Their conditions are
stable. Three other health care workers self-presented to hospitals with
febrile illness and two of them have chest x-ray signs of pneumonia.
Investigation by Hong Kong SAR public health authorities is on-going. The
Hospital Authority has increased infection control measures to prevent the
spread of the disease in the hospital. So far, no link has been found
between these cases and the outbreak in Hanoi.
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Mutant strain of pneumonia threatens world-wide health
ALASTAIR DALTON SCIENCE CORRESPONDENT
The Scotsman
<http://www.thescotsman.co.uk/index.cfm?id=322062003>
SCIENTISTS are expected to identify within days a strain of pneumonia that
has already killed nine and could have swept into Europe from Asia.
British experts yesterday expressed concern about the strain. Its
contagiousness and the health threat it poses will not be known until it
is diagnosed.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) has put out a rarely issued emergency
warning, describing the bug as "a worldwide health threat" that is not
treatable with normal drugs.
The WHO is on alert for such bugs because a flu pandemic is overdue. The
last one, in 1968, killed more than a million people.
The alert has spread alarm among air passengers, with many people arriving
at Hong Kong airport from Taiwan and Singapore yesterday reported to be
wearing surgical masks.
Travellers have been warned to watch out for symptoms of the bug, which is
classed as a type of severe acute respiratory syndrome, and could spread
rapidly because of increased air travel.
-------------------------
Medical sleuths fight clock
By Clara Pirani
18mar03
Herald Sun
<http://www.heraldsun.news.com.au/common/story_page/
0,5478,6144544%255E421,00.html>
Health authorities do not know what causes Severe Acute Respiratory
Syndrome and they are fighting the clock as international air travel has
already spread the disease to eight countries.
The organisation said 40 years ago, infectious diseases like SARS were
more easily confined to the region where the first outbreaks occurred.
-------------------------
SARS outbreak update
Health 24
<http://www.health24.co.za/news.asp?action=art&;
SubContentTypeId=72&ContentID=21441>
A mysterious respiratory illness that prompted a worldwide emergency
travel alert and a U.S. health alert Saturday has now claimed lives in at
least three of the nine countries it apparently has invaded. And the toll
of those stricken continues to climb.
The illness, being called Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) and
described as an "atypical pneumonia," appears to have killed at least nine
people, including an American businessman in Hong Kong, a mother and son
in Canada, and a nurse in Vietnam.
World Health Organization officials say there have been reports of more
than 150 suspected new cases in just the last week. Most of those
stricken, many of them hospital workers in Southeast Asia, have severe
breathing difficulties, according to news reports. The illness appears
immune to antibiotics and antiviral drugs.
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Airports, Hospitals on Alert for Killer Pneumonia
Mon March 17, 2003 03:19 AM ET
By Tan Ee Lyn
<http://asia.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=topNews&storyID=2389402>
HONG KONG (Reuters) - Airports and hospitals around the world were on
alert on Monday for carriers of a severe type of pneumonia that has killed
nine people, infected more than 100 and is being spread across the globe
by air travelers.
South Korea has become the latest country to warn its citizens against
traveling unnecessarily to mainland China, Hong Kong and Vietnam, where
most of the infections have occurred. Singapore and Taiwan issued travel
warnings on Friday.
"I am so scared," said a Hong Kong taxi driver on Monday.
He pointed to a mask on his dashboard: "I haven't used it yet, but I want
to be ready just in case."
Some passengers arriving at Hong Kong's airport were seen wearing masks
and bus companies told drivers to cover their noses and mouths as a
precaution.
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It would be an understatement to assert that this medical development is
attracting worldwide media attention. Full stories may be read at the
URLs above.
Sincerely,
David Dillard Research Librarian
david@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
ECP RingLeader
http://www.edu-cyberpg.com/ringleaders/davidd.html
Temple University
(215) 204 - 4584
jwne@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
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