Toronto Kindergarten Kids Sick...

[Lucas1]

SARS Pneumonia Spreading in Toronto, Canada, Forcing Quarantine of Thousands

© 2003 by Linda Moulton Howe

Police and visitors to Toronto, Canada's Scarborough Grace Hospital are wearing masks as the city tries to limit the rapidly spreading SARS pneumonia that is sweeping the world. A large quarantine is being enforced. Photograph © 2003 by the Toronto Globe and Mail.

"We realize this (quarantine affects) a substantial amount of people. This number will be in the thousands. But this is an incident of unprecedented scope and magnitude."

- Dr. Sheela Basrur, Scarborough Grace Hospital, Toronto, Canada

March 26, 2003 Toronto, Ontario, Canada - The SARS pneumonia microbe is spreading rapidly and two patients have died of the severe acute respiratory syndrome after treatment at the Scarborough Grace Hospital. The government has designated the illness a "reportable, communicable and virulent disease" under the Health Protection and Promotion Act, which lets officials quarantine people against their will. Today Ontario Health Minister, Tony Clement, announced a "health emergency" that requires enforced quarantine under the province's emergency powers legislation. Everyone who visited Toronto's Scarborough Hospital since March 16, should remain in their homes for ten days.

The reason is that medical experts are now worrying that the SARS disease can spread not only from cough and sneeze droplets, but through the air the way influenza spreads. The hospital closed its emergency department to all new patients on March 24, trying to limit public exposure to the still unidentified pathogen.

Scarborough's Dr. Sheela Basrur said, "We realize this is a substantial amount of people. This number will be in the thousands. But this is an incident of unprecedented scope and magnitude." Basrur said those who don't comply can be forced to do so by court order.

The cases have tripled since March 24 with 27 patients in Ontario, one in Vancouver and three people in all have died. Police and citizens are wearing surgical face masks and Toronto's supply is nearly gone.

A second Toronto hospital, Mount Sinai, stopped accepting new critical care patients today after it was discovered that a patient transferred from Scarborough later displayed symptoms. A central command has been set up to work 24 hours around the clock to co-ordinate all information from hospitals and health workers.

Increasing the worry about air transmission of the SARS pneumonia are three kindergarten students at a Toronto elementary school near Scarborough Grace Hospital that became ill with undiagnosed fever, but none of the children had come in contact with people suspected of infection. The elementary school has been closed until at least Monday.

China - Source of SARS Syndrome

The SARS outbreak was carried to Toronto by a person who had taken a business trip to Hong Kong and died of the SARS disease on March 5.

Health Canada has urged Canadians planning trips to the most affected parts of Southeast Asia to defer travel for the time being. Those areas are Hanoi, Vietnam, Hong Kong, Guangdong province in China and Singapore, which has also enforced a quarantine on more than 750 people exposed to SARS patients.

Even though the W. H. O. international SARS case numbers have not officially changed yet, China is reporting 1323 SARS cases and 49 deaths.

[Timesink]

I continue to find it fascinating that this is quickly exploding into a pandemic in Canada, with its oh-so-fabulous socialist health care system, while the US, with its eeeeeee-vil capitalist health care system, has had a whopping FIVE cases and no deaths. Even though we're right next door and have a totally porous border.

[LPStar]

I wouldn't be so sure about that. I think this is something that may have been misdiagnosed or undiagnosed for months. Anyways, you're out of date. This article from Friday says 51 cases in 21 states: http://www.healthcentral.com/news/NewsFullText.cfm?id=512471

Plus, there's an element of randomness. Note that Toronto is highly affected, but Vancouver, which has a large Asian population is not.

I hope for the best for everyone in the dozens of countries which now have cases.

[CobaltBlue]

Sorry to pop your bubble but the US has 59 cases so far. Canada 37.
http://www.who.int/csr/sarscountry/2003_03_29/en/

Gloating over other people's misfortunes is especially foolish when the thing that caused their misfortune is in your own back yard.

[this_ol_patriot]

Linda Moulton Howe

Not that there isn't SOME validity here but be warned this writer is from the Art Bell school of reporting and needs a grain of salt with every bite.

[TightSqueeze]

I continue to find it fascinating that this is quickly exploding into a pandemic in Canada, with its oh-so-fabulous socialist health care system, while the US, with its eeeeeee-vil capitalist health care system, has had a whopping FIVE cases and no deaths.

You are so friggin' gullible it is laughable. Do you really think everything can be viewed from your little political keyhole?

Here is a dose of reality for you... The Yankees are flying to Toronto for an opener, after this series they will fly back to Florida to play a series with the Devil Rays next weekend.
Question one, do you think G-d cares who wins?
Question two, do you think the virus will respect our boarders, and our vastly superior American immune system?
This is important since question three asks, I have extra tickets, are you game to attend?

[Orange1998]

Read his Bio. Nuff Said.

[Lucas1]

Quote "Gloating over other people's misfortunes is especially foolish when the thing that caused their misfortune is in your own back yard."

Thank You...Exactly

[gridlock]

Timesink is right, or course. The US healthcare system is vastly superior to the Canadian system. Whether or not that has anything to do with this disease is impossible to know, however. Right now we are at the beginning of the course of this thing, and random variables far outweigh other factors, like the health care system.

What is more to the point is the fact that the Chinese health care system (also state-run, BTW) has failed so miserably. The fact that this disease was allowed to spread, while the government doctors continued to maintain that there was no such thing as suffering and death in the People's Paradise, is a serious failing.

[gridlock]

Timesink is right, or course. The US healthcare system is vastly superior to the Canadian system. Whether or not that has anything to do with this disease is impossible to know, however. Right now we are at the beginning of the course of this thing, and random variables far outweigh other factors, like the health care system.

What is more to the point is the fact that the Chinese health care system (also state-run, BTW) has failed so miserably. The fact that this disease was allowed to spread, while the government doctors continued to maintain that there was no such thing as suffering and death in the People's Paradise, is a serious failing.

[gridlock]

Sorry for the double-tap. Gotta spend more time at the range...