Posted on 03/15/2003 6:36:42 AM PST by Lessismore
The World Health Organisation warned on Saturday of a "worldwide health threat" as a mystery killer pneumonia spread from east Asia to other parts of the globe.
Releasing a rare "emergency travel advisory", the United Nations health agency said an ill passenger had been taken to an isolation unit in Frankfurt, Germany, on Saturday after being removed from a plane en route from New York to Singapore.
A spokesman for the Geneva-based body said there were also reports two people had died in Canada, taking the death toll to eight since the first outbreak of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS), an atypical pneumonia of which the cause is not yet known, was detected in China in February.
Among the dead is an American businessman taken ill in Hanoi after visiting Shanghai. He died on Thursday in Hong Kong where 47 cases have been reported.
Another 41 people are being treated for the illness in Hanoi and two of them are in a critical condition, according to local health officials.
Cases have also been reported in Indonesia, Philippines, Singapore and Thailand.
Most cases have been among hospital workers.
"This syndrome, SARS, is now a worldwide health threat," WHO director-general Gro Harlem Brundtland said in a statement.
In its alert, WHO said travellers and airline crews needed to be aware of the first symptoms, which include high temperature and difficulty in breathing.
It was likely that anybody taken ill would have been in contact with a person diagnosed with the disease or travelled to an area where cases had been reported, the alert said.
But it said it was not calling for restrictions in travel to any area.
WHO spokesman Dick Thompson said the passenger taken from the plane in Frankfurt was a Singapore doctor who had visited New York after treating some of the first suspected SARS patients in Singapore.
WHO issued a global disease alert earlier this week because of the speed at which it travels and because patients are not responding to the usual treatments for pneumonia, Thompson said.
"As reports of cases are confirmed, you will see that there is a very high attack rate. When they get sick, they get very sick," he added.
Probably not. It sounds more like the UN and their propaganda machine manufacturing another distraction from Iraq. Pneumonia kills unfortunate people every year. The rains in SE Asia have been pretty bad this year.
Can't help but wonder if it wasn't born in China, that's where they first saw it. The thread I read about this last night is scary. This is ugly stuff.
This has already been a very bad season for a variety of respiratory and flu syndromes. We've had schools close down for several days because of these illnesses. This sounds like even more 'fun'.
"For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places." MATTHEW 24:7
FRANKFURT, Germany - A doctor from Singapore believed infected with a mysterious form of pneumonia that hit parts of Asia was taken off an airplane from New York on Saturday and quarantined in a Frankfurt hospital, German health authorities said.
The doctor, believed to be the first person in Europe to be infected with the atypical virus, was flying to Singapore from New York, where he already began to suffer symptoms, Dr. Angela Wirtz, of the Hessen state health office said in a statement.
Fearful the virus may be spreading, the Geneva-based international health organization, WHO, issued an emergency travel advisory Saturday.
Outbreaks of the disease have been reported in southern China, Hong Kong and Singapore. Unconfirmed new cases have been reported in Vietnam and Taiwan, as well as two deaths in Canada.
Two people accompanying the doctor also were taken off the Singapore Airlines flight during a stopover in Frankfurt and admitted to the Wolfgang Goethe University Clinic in Frankfurt, the statement said.
Another 155 passengers who deplaned in Frankfurt were being temporarily held in quarantine at the airport, the statement said.
The 85 passengers bound for Singapore, as well as the plane's 20 crew members, continued their journey and will be met by health officials upon their arrival.
...Where the latest mutation of the Asian flu is born every year, and has been for many, many years.
Doesn't have to be... most people don't realize the last great epidemic that took millions of lives was the Flu.
Nature has ways to thin the herd without the help of some nutjob terrorist, but it also doesn't mean someone didn't let the bug out.
A spokesman for the Geneva-based body said there were also reports two people had died in Canada, taking the death toll to eight since the first outbreak..."This syndrome, SARS, is now a worldwide health threat," WHO director-general Gro Harlem Brundtland said in a statement
- Ok. Eight (or 80 or 800) people out of a population of 6+ billion. Percentage wise that's about as close to zero as you can get and still be a number. IMHO this hardly constitutes "a world wide health threat".
of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS), an atypical pneumonia of which the cause is not yet known...
-A "severe acute respiratory syndrome"?? Isn't that hanging earrings on the elephant? You know, like "very unique","free gift", or "self confessed". I thought acute conditions were severe.
Another 41 people are being treated for the illness in Hanoi and two of them are in a critical condition, according to local health officials.... Cases have also been reported in Indonesia, Philippines, Singapore and Thailand.... "As reports of cases are confirmed, you will see that there is a very high attack rate. When they get sick, they get very sick," he added.
- I'll just bet you will! In Africa local health officials, label many,many unrelated medicial problems as "AIDS" hoping to latch on to the big bucks being poured in. It would not surprise me at all if this same sort of thing happens with this SARS thing. Once the money spicket opens look for the number of SARS cases to mushroom.
Bingo!!
Good one!! I move that we refer to every UN generated piece of hysteria-mongering 'crisis' crapola as a 'Blix-kreig'
Absolutely, exactly right.
SEVERE ACUTE RESPIRATORY SYNDROME - WORLDWIDE:ALERT *************************************** A ProMED-mail post <http://www.promedmail.org> ProMED-mail is a program of the International Society for Infectious Diseases <http://www.isid.org> [We are changing the name of this threat to Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome - Worldwide to reflect the appearance of cases now outside of East Asia, and in keeping with the name of they syndrome as defined by WHO -- "Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome" (SARS). In addition, given the severity of this situation, we have chosen to post this alert to ALL ProMED-mail subscribers, irrespective of specialty list preferences to assist in a further, widespread dissemination of this alert information. - Mod.MPP] Date: 15 Mar 2003 From: ProMED-mail <promed@promedmail.org> Source: WHO Press release <http://www.who.int/mediacentre/releases/2003/pr23/en/> World Health Organization issues emergency travel advisory Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) Spreads Worldwide ---------------------- 15 March 2003 | GENEVA -- During the past week, WHO has received reports of more than 150 new suspected cases of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS), an atypical pneumonia for which cause has not yet been determined. Reports to date have been received from Canada, China, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of China, Indonesia, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Viet Nam. Early today, an ill passenger and companions who travelled from New York, United States, and who landed in Frankfurt, Germany were removed from their flight and taken to hospital isolation. Due to the spread of SARS to several countries in a short period of time, the World Health Organization today has issued emergency guidance for travellers and airlines. "This syndrome, SARS, is now a worldwide health threat," said Dr. Gro Harlem Brundtland, Director General of the World Health Organization. "The world needs to work together to find its cause, cure the sick, and stop its spread." There is presently no recommendation for people to restrict travel to any destination. However in response to enquiries from governments, airlines, physicians and travellers, WHO is now offering guidance for travellers, airline crew and airlines. The exact nature of the infection is still under investigation and this guidance is based on the early information available to WHO. TRAVELLERS INCLUDING AIRLINE CREW: All travellers should be aware of main symptoms and signs of SARS which include: ? high fever (greater than 38 C) AND ? one or more respiratory symptoms including cough, shortness of breath, difficulty breathing AND one or more of the following: ? close contact* with a person who has been diagnosed with SARS ? recent history of travel to areas reporting cases of SARS. In the unlikely event of a traveller experiencing this combination of symptoms they should seek medical attention and ensure that information about their recent travel is passed on to the health care staff. Any traveller who develops these symptoms is advised not to undertake further travel until they have recovered. AIRLINES: Should a passenger or crew member who meets the criteria above travel on a flight, the aircraft should alert the destination airport. On arrival the sick passenger should be referred to airport health authorities for assessment and management. The aircraft passengers and crew should be informed of the person's status as a suspect case of SARS. The passengers and crew should provide all contact details for the subsequent 14 days to the airport health authorities. There are currently no indications to restrict the onward travel of healthy passengers, but all passengers and crew should be advised to seek medical attention if they develop the symptoms highlighted above. There is currently no indication to provide passengers and crew with any medication or investigation unless they become ill. In the absence of specific information regarding the nature of the organism causing this illness, specific measures to be applied to the aircraft cannot be recommended. As a general precaution the aircraft may be disinfected in the manner described in the WHO Guide to Hygiene and Sanitation in Aviation. ***** As more information has become available, WHO-recommended SARS case definitions have been revised as follows: Suspect Case A person presenting after 1 Feb 2003 with history of : ? high fever (greater than 38 C) AND ? one or more respiratory symptoms including cough, shortness of breath, difficulty breathing AND one or more of the following: ? close contact* with a person who has been diagnosed with SARS ? recent history of travel to areas reporting cases of SARS Probable Case A suspect case with chest x-ray findings of pneumonia or Respiratory Distress Syndrome OR A person with an unexplained respiratory illness resulting in death, with an autopsy examination demonstrating the pathology of Respiratory Distress Syndrome without an identifiable cause. Comments In addition to fever and respiratory symptoms, SARS may be associated with other symptoms including: headache, muscular stiffness, loss of appetite, malaise, confusion, rash, and diarrhea. **** Until more is known about the cause of these outbreaks, WHO recommends that patients with SARS be isolated with barrier nursing techniques and treated as clinically indicated. At the same time, WHO recommends that any suspect cases be reported to national health authorities. WHO is in close communication with all national authorities and has also offered epidemiological, laboratory and clinical support. WHO is working with national authorities to ensure appropriate investigation, reporting and containment of these outbreaks. *Close contact means having cared for, having lived with, or having had direct contact with respiratory secretions and body fluids of a person with SARS.
Yep, that was a horrible year. People need to be made aware of the danger, but there's no reason for the hysteria mongers to jump on it like this...except that they're doing it at the UN's behest.
On another note: last year was a good year for Boneset, a proven anti-viral that was the only cure for 'breakbone fever'. When the boneset gorws well and thickly, I always look for a virulent flu season to come up in the same year. It has nothing to do with any weird ideas of mother nature compenstating in advance for a new outbreak of disease to come. The plants - like all plants - are just responding to subtle changes in weather patterns.
We'll find out how bad within 24 hours.
Right you are. There is also sometimes a problem finding enough substitute teachers to go around when everybody (including the substitutes) are sick. Local schools here were shut down for three days due to a particularly nasty, 48 hour stomach flu last December. There just wasn't any point in opening the school if there was no one to run it, let alone enough students healthy enough to make opening worthwhile.
LOL, yep. Been there, done that. The worst part is the turning point of the illness when you reach the point of beginning on the road to recovery... when you cease being too sick to care whether you live or die, and start being afraid that maybe you'll live after all.
China is a billion people with marginal medical care. It is the homeland of the Flu-like respiratory diseases, just as Africa is the homeland of the Hemorhagic Fevers.
There is no more reason to suspect a new Pneumonia from China of being manmade than to suspect a new Ebola vairiant from central Africa of being man made.
So9
Bets on how long it is before the anti-America crowd begins chanting "How can we go to war in Iraq when North Korea SARS syndrome is a MUCH bigger threat to world peace world health??
Sheesh...I'm gonna go watch something entertaining.
I've got friends whose children have been sick most of the winter with a variety of viruses. The doctors offices have been packed. Are we in the apocalypse now? No, but if you read the next verse in Matthew, it says these are the beginnings of sorrows.
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