Posted on 04/01/2003 5:37:32 AM PST by CathyRyan
TORONTO - With five young children now suspected of suffering from a virulent new respiratory disease, the Ontario government slapped strict restrictions Monday on every hospital in the province to try to slow the relentless spread of the illness.
At least three of the children believed to have the potentially deadly ailment are younger than two, provincial authorities say.
Ontario reported 30 more cases of SARS or severe acute respiratory syndrome Monday, bringing the total in Canada to 129.
British Columbia, Alberta and New Brunswick are also reporting probable or suspected cases.
The new developments came as University of Ottawa virologist Earl Brown said the mystery pneumonia virus appears to have combined genes from two common viruses that never joined before, and may be as dangerous as the 1918 Spanish flu.
Brown said the new virus -- which looks like a genetic variation on the common cold -- "has two things you don't want a virus to have: high virulence and easy transmission."
"This could rival the 1918 flu. It's probably premature to make that statement at this point, but that's where my money is," Brown said. "I'm really concerned about the way this is shaping up."
The 1918 epidemic came in two waves over 18 months, killing 500,000 people in North America, and many millions around the world.
In an effort to get ahead of the outbreak that has kept public health officials scrambling for three weeks, strict safety measures will now be applied to every acute-care hospital in Ontario. That means only parents with sick children or relatives of critically ill patients will be allowed to visit, and medical staff will have to wear masks and goggles.
"Some people are upset and think we're overreacting in the things we do, " said Donald Low, head of microbiology at Toronto's Mount Sinai Hospital.
"This is a big deal. It's hard for people to believe. But we're living it."
Four people have died in Canada. Around the world, more than 1,600 have contracted SARS and about 60 have died. The illness, believed to be caused by a virus, is typified by muscle ache, fever exceeding 38 C and respiratory symptoms such as dry cough and shortness of breath.
In Ottawa, Health Canada announced details of a plan to alert passengers leaving Toronto on international flights about the danger of exporting the disease.
Beginning today, travellers will receive an information card urging them to put off their travel if they have SARS symptoms, have been in contact with a SARS patient, or visited a hospital closed because of SARS infection.
Cindy Jardine, a professor of human ecology at the University of Alberta, slammed the Health Canada plan.
"If the health authorities think (airline passengers) are a possible means of bringing it into the country, then they should do it properly," said Jardine. "Right now ... we're just frightening people."
She said Health Canada should have nurses who can interview the travellers and reassure them that they will face no repercussions if they do admit to SARS symptoms.
MKM
Some of those people are board certified physicians here on FR.
As utterly useless to stop the spread of a virus as anti-bacterial soap and the use of anti-biotics as a "treatment". Sounds like they are instituting face-saving nonsense and window dressing.
I'd like to put it with the other info I have collected. Thanks...
Yup. This here thingy is a WHO conspiracy I tell ya. It's really nothin more than another variant of the common cold. Gotta keep them appropriation dollars commin to the CDC in the U.S. too.
And whatever you do, don't worry about SARS. Too soon to know the odds, but you will probably live through it if you get it. If there is still room in the hospital, of course. But there will be. Hardly contagious at all, ya know.
Type N95 masks (minimum recommended) are also available in any big hardware store in the paint supplies section (the activated charcoal layer is good for filtering paint fumes as well as other stuff)
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