SARS REACHES HONG KONG SCHOOLS - 32 NEW CASES (IS THE BUG OUT OF THE BOX?)

CHANNEL NEWS ASIA ^ | 03-21-03 | AMY OR

[Mother Abigail]

21 March 2003 2046 hrs (SST) 1246 hrs (GMT)

32 more victims infected with SARS in Hong Kong 

By Amy Or

The Hong Kong government says it has contained the atypical pneumonia virus in the territory, but 32 more people have fallen victim to the deadly virus. The suspension of accident and emergency services at the Prince of Wales Hospital continues for another week.

The decision came after eight more healthcare personnel there fell sick with atypical pneumonia. This brings the total number struck by the virus to 197.

"We've contained the spread among primary contacts, trying to contain secondary contacts," said Yeoh Eng-kiong, Hong Kong's secretary for health, welfare and food.

China has repeatedly refused to link local cases of the outbreak to its southern Guangdong province. But the World Health Organization says preliminary studies confirm such a connection.

It has been confirmed that children are also victims of the illness.

One school on Hong Kong island had sent a Secondary 2 student to hospital as she showed flu-like symptoms. It was later found that her mother was also sick with atypical pneumonia.

Six students from four other schools have been hospitalized.

In the face of the increasing number of students suspected or confirmed to have contracted the disease, the Education Department has issued guidelines on preventive measures and is updating parents on the situation.

And officials held a briefing to 200 teachers in the territory, reminding them to report any abnormalities.

[riri]

This is bad news, eh? I was (perhaps in denial) they had a handle on this.

At this point do you think this looks llike bio terror taking into account the hotel floor information and no hotel employees getting sick?

BTW, thanks for all the work posting this information.

[riri]

my bad, supposed to read--- I was thinking.

[Mother Abigail]

Not good...

[Judith Anne]

I've heard that there are a number of suspected or probably cases in the US--to your knowledge, are any confirmed?

[Mother Abigail]

---

A CHRONOLOGICAL COMPILATION OF THE "SARS" OUTBREAK AS REPORTED ON FREE REPUBLIC

---

1. Precognition

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

3. LATEST SARS UPDATE - DETAILED MEDICAL INFORMATION

4. BREAKING BIG: POSSIBLE PATHOGEN DETECTED IN SARS CASE

5. Killer Virus (SARS) Identified

6. Seven victims of mystery pneumonia stayed on same floor of Hong Kong hotel

7. Guangdong doctor linked to SARS outbreak

8. President of the American Society of Microbiology on SARS - "Everything says it is airborne."

[Judith Anne]

probably=probable. Sheesh!

[Centurion2000]

crap .... I feel bad for all those kids.

[Mother Abigail]

ATLANTA, Georgia (CNN) -- The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Thursday listed the states where it has found 13 suspected U.S. cases of an atypical pneumonia dubbed severe acute respiratory syndrome, or SARS.

Three of the possible cases are in California, two in North Carolina, and the states of Hawaii, Maine, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New Mexico, Tennessee, Virginia and Wisconsin are reporting one possible case each, the CDC said in a statement posted on its Web site.

Thursday afternoon, the New York City Department of Health said it was investigating two possible cases in that city. The CDC does not have those cases listed as of yet, which could make the number of possible cases rise to 15 in the United States.

A statement from the NYC Department of Health said both individuals had recently traveled to Southeast Asia, where there have been several suspected cases of SARS.

The 67-year-old man and 27-year-old woman are said to be in good condition. The man is hospitalized and isolated and the woman received treatment and has returned home, the statement said. The two individuals are not related.

The CDC announced Wednesday that it was investigating cases in the United States of people who might have contracted the relatively unknown, severe type of pneumonia that appears resistant to antibiotics and anti-viral agents, the common weapons against pneumonia.

So far, no cases of SARS have been confirmed in the United States. It apparently started China or Southeast Asia and has been spread by infected air travelers to Europe and Canada.

[Mother Abigail]

The worst case

Because of the close contact of children, illnesses like this spread very rapidly. As you well know.

Let us hope for the best...

[Judith Anne]

Like measles. Measles is another paramyxovirus.

[bonesmccoy]

Looks like diagnosis of this germ requires old school clinical work. The diagnosis is not molecular, it's clinical!

So, we need to go looking for symptoms that match in our community and we need support from Public Health to do our work.

[Mother Abigail]

Well said

[Domestic Church]

As soon as I read the headline I thought of al quaeda ( and perhaps China)targeting the children and wondered too. You know it's going to be all over now...kids to daycare, kids to dance lessons, sports teams, movie theaters etc.

[Mother Abigail]

Attention News/Health Editors:

Ontario's Public Health Commissioner urges Ontarians at risk of SARS to seek medical help

TORONTO, March 21 /CNW/ - Dr. Colin D'Cunha, Ontario's Commissioner of Public Health, is urging Ontarians who are at risk of developing Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) to call their local family doctor, or call Telehealth Ontario for more information.

Those at risk include people with recent travel to China's Guandong Province, Hong Kong, Vietnam and Singapore, (there have also been sporadic cases reported in Germany, Thailand, Taiwan, Slovenia and the United Kingdom) or those who have had close contact with persons diagnosed with SARS. These people should seek medical attention, if they develop a fever (over 38 degrees Celsius) and one or more of the following respiratory symptoms: cough, shortness of breath or difficulty breathing.

[Domestic Church]

You are right, this battle is primarily the clinician frontline.

[Mother Abigail]

March 21 , 2003 23:31PM

Five More Infected With SARS, Toll Hits 39

By Salbiah Said

SINGAPORE, March 21 (Bernama) -- Five more people have been infected with atypical pneumonia, dubbed Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS), bringing the total struck by the killer flu to 39, the Health Ministry said Friday.

The five new cases comprise four hospital staff and one close contact of a patient.

Three patients have been discharged from hospital while the other 36 patients are still in hospital. All the patients are stable except for seven patients who are in serious condition.

[vetvetdoug]

Virgin population for a virus, infective in close quarters, and now out of control. This does not look good. Unless there are some strict isolation procedures instituted this is your new plague until the virus is endemic in the worlds' population.

[Mother Abigail]

Stones' China Shows Will Go On

The Rolling Stones will perform two concerts in Hong Kong and two in China as scheduled, regardless of the war in Iraq and a deadly pneumonia outbreak in southern China, a source said today (March 21). Speaking on condition of anonymity, the source stated, "As long as there isn't a war in the country they are performing then
Colleen Ironside of Live Productions, the Hong Kong concerts' lead promoter, did not respond to a request for comment.
The April 1 concert in Shanghai and April 4 show in Beijing are the Stones' first appearances on the Chinese mainland.

Tell me baby, what's my name

Tell me honey, can ya guess my name

Tell me baby, what's my name

I tell you one time, you're to blame

[Mother Abigail]

Posted at 10:06 AM on Friday, March 21, 2003

Kansas may have first case of fatal disease

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) -- Kansas may have its first case of a mystery illness that has killed at least 14 people around the world.

The Kansas Department of Health and Environment said a south-central Kansas man who recently returned from Asia was hospitalized this week with symptoms of the illness.

The man is being treated at Via Christi St. Francis in Wichita, said Pat MacDonald, a spokesperson for the Sedgwick County Health Department. A hospital spokesperson said the man is in isolation and listed in fair condition.