Cause of Mystery Disease Believed Found (Coronavirus)

AP Online via COMTEX ^ | Mar 24, 2003 | DIRK BEVERIDGE

[grimalkin]

HONG KONG, Mar 24, 2003 (AP Online via COMTEX) -- A mystery disease spread new fears across Asia on Monday as Singapore quarantined hundreds of people, and Hong Kong and Vietnam reported more deaths amid closed schools and growing fear.

At the same time, scientists in Geneva and the United States said they believe the cause of the flu-like ailment that has stymied them for weeks could be one of the viruses that causes the common cold.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Monday that evidence is mounting the cause is a coronavirus, a bug that can cause colds.

CDC director Dr. Julie Gerberding in Atlanta said a form of the virus unlike any seen in humans before has been found in the lungs and other tissue of some victims.

Furthermore, patients seem to develop antibodies to the virus as they get sicker with the pneumonia, Gerberding said.

There is no known treatment, although the World Health Organization said last week it had developed a reasonable test for diagnosing the disease. CDC scientists are skeptical of its accuracy.

The illness, called severe acute respiratory syndrome, SARS, has produced 456 cases and 17 deaths since Feb. 1, WHO says. Those figures do not include cases and deaths from mainland China where the disease is believed to have begun in November.

Hong Kong accounts for more than half the reported cases around the world, with 260, and 10 deaths, two of those reported Monday. Vietnam also reported two new deaths Monday, just two days after the U.S. State Department advised citizens to avoid travel to the country because its hospitals are in crisis.

The WHO also reported another death in Canada, bringing that country's total to three. There have been no deaths in the United States.

In the meantime, Hong Kong government officials met to draw up health guidelines for everything from restaurants to bus systems in an attempt to slow the spread of the flu-like illness. And the territory's health secretary, Dr. Yeoh Eng-kiong, called it "a really very alarming disease," the likes of which Hong Kong has never seen.

On Sunday, the news that Hong Kong's health chief was hospitalized with the respiratory symptoms indicative of the disease merely added to the anxiety.

"I think it's spreading very quickly," said Lisa Fung, a masked 44-year-old worker at a domestic help recruitment agency. "Even William Ho has got it and he hasn't had to go treat the patients."

It was not known immediately if Ho was sick with SARS, which has symptoms of a fever of at least 100.4, combined with coughing, shortness of breath or difficulty breathing. But Hong Kong officials noted he had been going through hospitals to offer moral support to front-line medical workers and patients.

Health authorities suspect SARS is linked with an earlier atypical pneumonia outbreak in mainland China's Guangdong province that killed five people and sickened 305. A WHO team that arrived over the weekend in Beijing said Monday it was analyzing the Chinese cases in the scramble to unravel the disease.

For days, Hong Kong officials had said that SARS did not threaten the community at large, but Yeoh issued new warnings on Monday, urging people with flu-like symptoms to stay away from work and school.

"The situation now is very difficult," he said.

Government officials were planning guidelines for hospitals, schools, transport systems, public housing and restaurants. Four schools were closed temporarily, after seven students, a teacher and a bus driver were infected, although their cases were linked to sick relatives.

Singapore's efforts to contain the disease came as Health Minister Lim Hng Kiang announced he was invoking the Infectious Diseases Act for what could be the first time since the city-state gained independence in 1965.

Over the weekend, Singapore said it would empty one of its main hospitals and dedicate it to coping with the disease.

The health minister said authorities had ordered about 740 people who may have been exposed to victims of the illness to stay home for 10 days and have no contact with others. Any quarantined person caught outside his home could face a fine of up to $2,825.

In Hong Kong, many residents wore surgical masks around the city, hoping to avoid infection.

Officials offered some encouragement, saying that many of the sick seemed to improve with steroids and an anti-viral drug, ribavirin. Some of the sickest Hong Kong patients were receiving injections of antibodies obtained from victims who have recovered and their initial responses appeared good, Yeoh said.

WHO scientists said they still had not ruled out the possible cause of paramyxovirus, which causes measles, mumps and canine distemper.

"We now have two major (virus) groups and it's up to the laboratories to see where the virus is going to end up," said Dr. Klaus Stohr, a WHO virologist who is coordinating the work of WHO's network of 11 labs.

By DIRK BEVERIDGE Associated Press Writer

[LPStar]

All kidding aside, I don't imagine Corona beer manufacturers are too thrilled right now.

[aristeides]

Uh oh. Does this mean it spreads as easily as the common cold?

[IncPen]

Ping

[jiggyboy]

Some of the sickest Hong Kong patients were receiving injections of antibodies obtained from victims who have recovered

Wow, this is like one of those science fiction stories where they're on Mars and said "it's a long shot, but it Just Might Work" right before the commercial.

[CygnusXI]

Am I reading this wrong or is this a virus, that acts (ie spreads) like a cold, and has an appx 5% mortality rate?
---with no treatment other than a hopefull autoimmune sys.

That's peachy. You all know at work EVERYONE get's a cold.

"Hey Joe what's up?"
"Eh? Nothin'. Just lost 5% of our company to the CORONA."
"Mass Funeral at 2pm"

[ProudArmyWife]

Well, I was told that the Corona virus could not be passed to humans. Maybe this is a different strain of it or something. I specifically asked because our ferrets ran around the house all the time (potty trained) I then contacted my doctor and asked him the same his reply was *not possible* So, I am afraid I cannot help you.

[Mother Abigail]

SECTION I - INFECTIOUS AGENT
NAME: Human coronavirus

SYNONYM OR CROSS REFERENCE: Viral respiratory disease, viral gastroenteritis

CHARACTERISTICS: Coronaviridae; first isolated in 1965, spherical enveloped virion, 80-160 nm in diameter, crown-like in appearance, club-shaped peplomars, single-stranded, linear, non-segmented, positive-sense RNA genome;

SECTION II - HEALTH HAZARD

PATHOGENICITY: Usually produce an afebrile cold in adults, characterized by nasal discharge, and malaise; may exacerbate respiratory symptoms in asthmatic and chronic pulmonary disease patients; implicated in gastroenteritis; greater occurrence in children; maybe associated with pneumonia and pleural reactions, rarely manifests in neurological complications; immunity is serotype specific; antigenic heterogeneity allows for multiple symptomatic reinfections

EPIDEMIOLOGY: Worldwide; major cause of respiratory disease between late fall and early winter; accounts for 10-30% of all colds

HOST RANGE: Humans

INFECTIOUS DOSE: Not known

MODE OF TRANSMISSION: By inhalation of aerosols; respiratory transmission from person-to-person; indirectly through fomites

INCUBATION PERIOD: From 2 to 5 days

COMMUNICABILITY: Communicable during the acute and convalescent stages of the disease

SECTION III - DISSEMINATION

RESERVOIR: Humans

ZOONOSIS: None

VECTORS: None

SECTION IV - VIABILITY

DRUG SUSCEPTIBILITY: No specific antivirals

SUSCEPTIBILITY TO DISINFECTANTS: Susceptible to 1% sodium hypochlorite, 2% glutaraldehyde

PHYSICAL INACTIVATION: Sensitive to heat

SURVIVAL OUTSIDE HOST: Survives up to 24 hours on metal surfaces at ambient conditions

SECTION V - MEDICAL

SURVEILLANCE: Monitor for symptoms; confirm by serological testing and viral isolation
FIRST AID/TREATMENT: No specific therapy

IMMUNIZATION: None available

PROPHYLAXIS: None available

SECTION VI - LABORATORY HAZARDS
LABORATORY-ACQUIRED INFECTIONS: None reported to date

SOURCES/SPECIMENS: Nasal discharges, respiratory
secretions; stools

PRIMARY HAZARDS: Droplet exposure of the mucous membranes of the eye, nose and/or mouth; inhalation of infectious aerosols; ingestion
SECTION VII - RECOMMENDED PRECAUTIONS

CONTAINMENT REQUIREMENTS: Biosafety level 2 practices, equipment and containment facilities for activities involving virus, infectious body tissues and fluids

[aristeides]

FIRST AID/TREATMENT: No specific therapy IMMUNIZATION: None available PROPHYLAXIS: None available

Uh oh.

[CathyRyan]

What do you think Mother?

[Mother Abigail]

If this is a mutant of the Coronaviridae family, then it is one odd variation.

Transmission and incubation jive but pathogenicity does not.

This would have gone from mild problem to killer in one easy step....

[MarkL]

People seem to forget just how dangerous the flu can be. Don't forget the Flu Pandemic that occurred just after WWI. As I recall, more people died from the flu than from the war!

Mark

[aristeides]

I guess the Spanish flu is an example of a mutation that became much more lethal. But one does have to wonder whether bioengineering was at work here.

Where does China have its bioweapons labs? I note that one of the early cases in Hong Kong had just visited Hainan Island.

[TBall]

"Some of the sickest Hong Kong patients were receiving injections of antibodies obtained from victims who have recovered" Good news, I thought that patients were not recovering from SARS.

[CathyRyan]

I am surprised that there is nothing on ProMED about this. I think I will wait and see what they say before panicking.

[aristeides]

SARS closes Toronto emergency room .

[Mother Abigail]

Good decision

[mother]

So, what's the deal? I'm here in KY wondering if I should be frightened or not ... Is this thing out of control or not? Are there any medical types on today that could enlighten us?

[Mother Abigail]

Very few have been discharged, but perhaps within the hospital some are now getting better, let us hope so...

[ChadsDad]

I always have propholaptics with my corona

[Mother Abigail]

There are a few cases (suspected) within the US now.

No, you should not be alarmed. But it is wise to be alert to these developments.

However you or your family should not travel to Hong Kong, Vietnam, Singapore, or China.

Wash your hands with warm water and soap as often as you can. Avoid international travelers who have recently returned home for a couple of weeks.