Honk Kong Health Secretary calls for calm as SARS cases double, (83 up from 42 on Sunday)

IOL ^ | 03-17-03

[Mother Abigail]

Gastrointestinal upset and diarrhea are not good indicators, just occasional symptoms.

Respiratory disorder w/ fever is a better marker. But we are seeing more and more reports of sore throats in the earlier stages.

[birdwoman]

Yes, I understand that... I was just wondering WHEN in the process of the illness they are showing up IF theya re showing up. I have not seen that stated anywhere, have you?

[ex-Texan]

There are over 400 cases worldwide as of today. But China had 350 cases of this disease back in November. Just announced that it was a previously unidentified flu virus.

Click here: http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/867070/posts

[Merovingian]

AND..per Drudge right now:


"Possible case of mystery illness in Los Angeles County"

LOS ANGELES (AP) - A possible case of severe acute respiratory syndrome has been identified in Los Angeles County, health officials said Monday.

The discovery was made after the Department of Health Services alerted emergency rooms during the weekend to be on the watch for persons with symptoms of the unusual respiratory illness which recently surfaced in Southeast Asia.
Specimens from the patient were sent to the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for testing. The patient, meanwhile, was doing well, the department said in a statement.

Dr. Jonathan Fielding, director of public health and county health officer, noted that respiratory illnesses are very common in Los Angeles County at this time of year.

"For many of these, a specific diagnosis is never obtained. Therefore, the mere presence of these symptoms should not be a cause of heightened concern," he said in a statement.

Fielding said that to avoid confusion with other respiratory illnesses, temperature and other physical symptoms must be accompanied by a history of travel to certain areas of Asia or close contact with persons who have the symptoms and have the travel history.

The CDC said Monday it was looking into four possible cases in the United States and had ruled out 10 other cases.


http://www.sacbee.com/state_wire/story/6290365p-7244067c.html

[aristeides]

BBC a couple of hours ago reported the first case in Britain.

[Mother Abigail]

It appears the most patients present with fever, respiratory disorders etc..

It is during the later stages of the illness, as with many acute disorders, that the gastrointestinal element appears...

Sorry I can't be more exact

[Mother Abigail]

We seem to have reached 400 cases in rather short order,

Wonder what the real number is?

[Mother Abigail]

Thanks for the heads up,

There is a tremendous amount of traffic to Asia and back on the Left Coast, matter of time...

[Merovingian]

Thanks, yes I saw that earlier..Look at this:

Bioterrorism test set for March 24

OKLAHOMA CITY - A crop-duster will start spraying puffs of dust and grain alcohol over central Oklahoma next week in a test to see if weather radar could detect a bioterrorist attack.

The test was delayed by a month after residents complained about powdered egg whites and a sterilized natural pesticide that were included in the original test materials.

The Army and Environmental Protection Agency are looking for another spot to test the eggs and BT (bacillus thuringiensis), chosen because they resemble the molecular structure of biological and chemical weapons.

Federal officials have no plans to delay the start of testing Monday, even if war breaks out in Iraq and residents in the three test areas are extra jittery about post-Sept. 11 fears of terrorists attacking from the sky.

"That is not at this time built into the plans," said Army spokeswoman Karen Baker. "There is just so much uncertainty. I'm sure it's in the back of everyone's minds.

"Obviously, more than ever, homeland security is very important."

The government planned to start the test, which will last several weeks, on Feb. 24. But after residents in Goldsby complained at a government meeting, federal officials re-evaluated the test materials.

They also created a Web site and hot line that will have daily recorded messages about scheduled test places and times. Army officials promise to respond promptly to messages left on the hot line, 1-866-223-1101.

Goldsby Mayor Glenn Berglan said townspeople initially were concerned about the test but have calmed down. He said he is not too concerned the test might happen while the country is at war, but wishes it would have happened earlier in the interest of homeland security.

"I think everybody has a lot of concerns that we might actually have terrorist attacks if war starts," Berglan said.

The powdered clay, grain alcohol, which is found in beer, and polyethylene glycol, often used in lotions, are expected to dissipate before reaching the ground, officials said. The materials, all biodegradable and harmless, resemble biological or chemical weapons as far as particle size, weight and density.

The Oklahoma test is the latest and most advanced in a series of tests the EPA has held in Maryland, Utah and Florida beginning in early 2001, before the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. The Army and EPA dumped powdered egg whites and a bacterium similar to BT over the ocean near Key West, Fla., last April with no ill effects.

The test, taking place in Oklahoma because of the state's advanced weather radar system, will help EPA and Army scientists determine how well radar can pick out chemicals or germs in the air. Radar systems will collect data as the materials spray out of the plane, and scientists will analyze it, looking for some way it could help warn the public if there was an attack.

Testing is planned east of Goldsby, a small town south of Norman, on a slice of land northwest of Will Rogers World Airport and on another piece of land south of the Canadian River in Oklahoma City.

http://www.newsok.com/cgi-bin/show_article?ID=1000099&pic=none&TP=getarticle

[Mother Abigail]

Web Posted :  Mar 17 2003 04:54 PM CST

CBC Edmonton News740 AM Live  

'Mystery' virus suspected in city illness

Edmonton - Health officials are reporting a suspected case of atypical pneumonia in the city.
Believed to be viral, "severe acute respiratory syndrome" (SARS) has flu-like symptoms and can cause death by respiratory failure.

The 27-year-old woman, who returned from Hong Kong over the weekend, went to the doctor complaining of a high fever. She has been in hospital since, with staff taking precautions not to become infected.

Officials say it will take a couple of days to confirm whether the woman is suffering from SARS.

[twntaipan]

Is it possible the strong presence of this new bug within ethnic Asians is a result of some complication caused by use of traditional medicines? Chinese are as likely to seek out traditional medicine as western medicines. If this bug surpresses the white blood cells, I wonder if the use of some traditional Chinese medicines might complicate the body's natural abilities to fend off such bugs.

Some years ago there was an out break of entero virus 71 in Taiwan that killed more than 50 children. EV71 is found the world over and is usually only mildly discomforting. A Taiwanese doctor friend told me the deaths were caused by the means of treatment initially used by doctors in Taiwan (who used steroids to treat the flu like symptoms of that disease). I wonder if a misuse of some drug is the cause of the preponderance of Asians suffering from this new bug.

[Merovingian]

and this from Pro-med: The eighth case has been diagnosed on 16 Mar 2003 with probable SARS. He is not related to the first 6 cases and is the first non-Asian case in Toronto. For the first 2 weeks of Mar 2003, he was traveling in Southeast Asia (including Hong Kong on 10 Mar 2003). He developed symptoms on 12 Mar 2003 with pleuritic chest pain, sore throat and light headedness that developed into productive cough with hemoptysis [coughing up blood] and shortness of breath on 14 Mar 2003. He was assessed and noted to have a temperature of 40 C (104 F) on 15 Mar 2003 and is requiring 40 percent oxygen by mask. Pulmonary embolism has been ruled out.

[OXENinFLA]

[Judith Anne]

From the SacBee at this address:

http://www.sacbee.com/state_wire/story/6290365p-7244067c.html

LOS ANGELES (AP) - A possible case of severe acute respiratory syndrome has been identified in Los Angeles County, health officials said Monday.

The discovery was made after the Department of Health Services alerted emergency rooms during the weekend to be on the watch for persons with symptoms of the unusual respiratory illness which recently surfaced in Southeast Asia.

~snip

The CDC said Monday it was looking into four possible cases in the United States and had ruled out 10 other cases.

This is the first I've heard about possible US cases...

[Mother Abigail]

I believe we will discover this to be an equal-opportunity pathogen.

The outbreak, at present, is centered in Asia leading to Asian patients.

Of course this could be completely wrong, for there are pathogens that target/favor ethnic groups

[twntaipan]

I guess my point was, is it possible that there are environmental factors or cultural practices that might make this more prevalent among Asians? Even the one non-Asian Canadian case had travelled to Southeast Asia, where, it is at least possible, he sought treatment from non-Western (meaning traditional) medicines.

[aristeides]

Do we have figures on the ages of the victims?

[lawdude]

"Anyone know what the mortality rate for this has been?"

100%

Loverly!

[Mother Abigail]

I would think that scenario has a very low probability of
proving true.

But, as I say, till we isolate this critter nothing is off the table...

[Mother Abigail]

ATLANTA, March 17 (UPI) -- The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Monday it is investigating 14 possible cases of severe acute respiratory syndrome in the United States.

So far, none of the cases has been confirmed, officials said.
CDC's Director, Dr. Julie Gerberding, said during a teleconference 10 of the 14 U.S. cases appear unlikely to be SARS. The other four are undergoing further scrutiny.

"It is not a common organism," Gerberding said. "Either it is difficult to grow or we've had little experience with it."

She noted some data have provided clues, however. It seems to be spread by droplets, such as in coughs and sneezes, and people in close direct contact with those who are infected are at risk of getting the disease, she explained.

She added that CDC scientists have been limited in seeking the culprit organism by delays in getting access to specimens. So the CDC has taken steps to obtain samples from infected patients, she added.