"Who are they talking to? The hospitals? SARS is under control in Toronto! There is no SARS! We have defeated SARS! SARS has suicided on the gates of Toronto! "
Posted on 05/24/2003 4:14:50 PM PDT by CathyRyan
Health officials say the city of Toronto, Canada could have dozens of new Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) cases on its hands. It's now believed at least 40 people came in direct contact with patients suspected of having the potentially deadly disease.
The recent outbreak in neighboring Canada has health officials in the United States concerned about the disease crossing the border.
“There were high hopes”
Canadians thought they were in the clear. More than one week ago the country's health officials announced they'd snuffed out the possible spread of SARS.
Dr. Richard Schabas is the former Ontario Chief Medical Officer. He says, "I think everybody is surprised and little disappointed that it has come back. There were high hopes that we had seen the end of the Toronto outbreak."
New cases being diagnosed
Five potential cases have now surfaced in Toronto and dozens more may have been exposed to the sometimes deadly disease after visiting the hospitals where five new cases had been diagnosed in the previous 24 hours.
Toronto is Canada's largest city and a popular tourist destination so the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has issued a travel alert warning Americans of the outbreak, but falling short of telling people not to go there.
Dr. Julie Gerberding of the CDC says, “This is a sobering situation for all of us and we've said from the beginning, SARS is a problem for everyone."
Damaging the tourism industry
While Canadian health officials insist they have the situation under control, this second SARS scare in just a matter of weeks adds another blow to Canada's already ailing tourism industry.
Denzil Minnen-Wong of the Toronto City Council says, “We thought we had turned the corner and now we have learned that we haven't. I think what we have to do is to get the alert lifted and contain the illness."
Mad Cow Disease influence
To make matters worse, this week in Canada, health officials announced the first North American case of mad cow disease, a grave reminder what was once considered a problem overseas has now traveled close to home.
An American doctor who may have become infected while monitoring Taiwan's handling of its SARS outbreak is being flown to the CDC in Atlanta by air ambulance this weekend.
"Who are they talking to? The hospitals? SARS is under control in Toronto! There is no SARS! We have defeated SARS! SARS has suicided on the gates of Toronto! "
His priorities seem to be in the wrong sequence.
Could this be that Karma thing?
Cosmic Revenge
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