SARS Here to Stay, Health Experts Say

By Maggie Fox, Health and Science Correspondent WASHINGTON (Reuters) - An alarming new respiratory disease that spread from southern China to virtually every continent within months is probably here to stay, health experts said on Wednesday.

World health officials moved quickly to try to contain the outbreak of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome once word got out, but it was carried too quickly by person-to-person contact and is now probably entrenched in the population, they said.

The disease concerns doctors because it can cause severe pneumonia that cannot be helped by drugs. About 4 percent of patients die.

There are more questions than answers right now about SARS because doctors are not 100 percent certain about the virus that causes the disease and are still collecting data, said Dr. Jim Hughes, head of infectious diseases at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Once there is a test for the virus that causes the disease, doctors can find out how common it is, how infectious, and whether some people are more likely to spread it than others.

"We have more than 150 suspected SARS cases in the United States today. At the end of all this we'll be able to classify many of those into confirmed or not SARS categories," Hughes said in a telephone interview.

The World Health Organization reported 2,722 suspected SARS cases worldwide, with 106 deaths in 16 countries. This compares to a minimum of 250,000 deaths a year globally from influenza and its complications, but doctors are not ready to dismiss SARS.

"I think we have to assume that the virus is in Asia to stay," Hughes said. "In terms of its introduction into North America, whether it is here to stay I think remains to be seen but I think we should assume that it may well be."

CDC director Dr. Julie Gerberding earlier this week suggested SARS may begin to show a seasonal pattern, as do other respiratory diseases such as colds and influenza. Doctors believe a coronavirus similar to strains that cause the common cold may cause SARS.

"I think you might expect it will because other respiratory illnesses do," Hughes said.

Scientists are already working on a vaccine to fight SARS and are screening banks of drugs to see if one can fight the virus. But they have warned that it takes years to develop a new vaccine for a disease.

Vaccines and drugs are unlikely to wipe out any illness. The only human disease that has been eradicated is smallpox, through a global immunization program that ended in 1980.

WHO says it is close to eradicating polio, another viral disease that infects only humans, but says pockets remain in places like Afghanistan and parts of Africa.

Despite years of work on flu vaccines, influenza manages to adapt and evolve and cause a new epidemic every year. Hughes said it is only a matter of time before another influenza pandemic sweeps the world, killing perhaps millions.

...gut instinct is productive

And your gut instinct is to panic? Where will you run to if it is already widespread and not able to be contained?

Someone else posted a list of what we can do to help, and I have to repeat it:

Things you can do about SARS

Call the CDC in Atlanta and demand they do something. Nobody has done that yet, so you'll be the first.
Walk in little circles in your yard muttering, "It's coming, it's coming!" The tighter the circles, the better.
Write as many TV networks and newspapers as you can and demand MORE SARS STORIES. People will stop doing stupid things that spread the disease (like going to China or places where the disease is) if there are enough SARS stories. Remember, even birds stopped migrating because of all the news stories during the West Nile panic.
Start wearing surgical masks now, everywhere. Even when you sleep. It's never too early.
Watch TV and stay on the Internet 24/7 to make sure you see all SARS stories and don't miss any. This is important, and really helps.
Go ahead and start thinking you've caught SARS. That way SARS might think you've already had it.
Practice one-way breathing -- exhaling only. The more you eliminate inhaling, the better your chances are to avoid SARS. Also start learning to breathe through your ears. Learn to listen through your nose.
Worry real hard, and a lot. That always works.
Freep it but good.

And your gut instinct is to panic?

No, the example I presented was intended to make a simple point. Sometimes we need to think for ourselves. And my gut instinct tells me to err on the side of caution when it comes to the SARS situation. I won't be making unnecessary trips to the bigger cities. I will be avoiding large groups of people if possible. I will be extra careful about washing my hands and not rubbing my eyes and so on. I may even decide to wear one of the several N95 masks that I purchased in one of my "fits of panic." (heh heh)

Unfortunately, in this day-and-age, anyone who errs on the side of caution is usually accused of panicking by the media. The word "panic" apparently has been redefined to mean any behavior that doesn't involve walking through a shopping mall in a glossy-eyed stupor. Wearing a CDC-approved, N95 mask during an outbreak of a respiratory disease doesn't qualify as panic in my opinion.

I'm very pleased to see all these SARS stories posted on Free Republic. I'm glad to know that others are concerned enough to inform people of this important health issue. I also enjoy reading the posts from people who don't think SARS is a very big deal. It keeps it interesting. This story is definitely worth discussing. Thanks for the reply.

http://www.ohio.com/mld/beaconjournal/business/5600303.htm

Purell awash in sales
Illnesses, fears increase demand
By Mary Ethridge
Beacon Journal business writer

The threat of severe acute respiratory syndrome, along with fears of terrorism and the war in Iraq, has caused sales to surge at GOJO, the Akron-based company that makes hand sanitizing liquid for medical and consumer use.

There's no evidence GOJO's Purell kills the SARS virus, but there's no evidence it doesn't. There's just not enough of the virus in existence now to allow for widespread testing.

Nevertheless, worldwide fears of SARS and other new viruses such as the Norwalk and West Nile viruses, led the Centers for Disease Control to issue a plea for more hand washing by health care workers in particular and everyone in general.

Doctors may have to wash their hands 30 to 40 times a day with soap and water to stay safely germ free.

Health care workers use hand sanitizers, such as Purell, when using soap and water isn't feasible or desirable.

Sales of Purell Instant Hand Sanitizers have increased ``significantly'' across the world, said Sandor Katz, spokesman for GOJO. But sales have been particularly strong in Asia, Canada and the United States -- areas where SARS has been reported.

There have have been 100 cases in the United States, including six in Ohio.

As a private company, GOJO is not required to release financial figures and declined to do so for this story.

However, production at the company's main plant in Cuyahoga Falls is at full steam, said Katz, spokesman for GOJO.

``Our people know this is a critical time for everyone. This is a frightening time for many people, so if we can provide reassurance (of safety), we're glad. That's our message,'' said Katz.

Sales for Purell began to lift in late 2001 as Americans were warned about germ warfare and terrorism in the wake of the attacks on Sept. 11 and subsequent anthrax scares.

Business continued to grow last year along with concerns about the West Nile Virus and war with Iraq, Katz said.

The product was given a boost when Americans were advised by experts that hand sanitizers should be on every shopping list when equipping a family to survive a high terrorism alert or attack.

When America declared war in March, sales got another boost.

GOJO, which began selling Purell in the consumer retail market in 1996, has had contracts with the U.S. Department of Defense for years. For the past several years, it has donated 1 oz. bottles of Purell to deploying troops through the American Red Cross, according to Summit County Chapter Spokesman Jackie Zavodney.

Purell, which does not require soap or water, is said to kill 99.9 percent of the germs that make people sick.

One of GOJO's biggest competitors is Steris Inc. of Mentor, which specializes in high-tech sterilization equipment.

Steris spokesman Kevin Marsh said most companies order months in advance. Growth is gradual in times like these, he said.

The defense department orders equipment such as surgical boards and tables from Steris far ahead of time.

Steris does have an alcohol-based hand sanitizer called Cal-Stat, but it is mainly marketed to health care workers and not the general public.

``We certainly stand ready if our government and people need us'' said Marsh. ``Sterilization and decontamination is at the heart of our business.''

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