Posted on 04/21/2003 4:17:56 PM PDT by Willie Green
For education and discussion only. Not for commercial use.
TORONTO (Reuters) - A health-care worker who is probably infected with the deadly SARS virus could have put hundreds of people at risk after he refused to obey a voluntary quarantine request and became "obnoxious" and "threatening," Ontario health officials said on Monday.
The man, whose name officials did not disclose, should not have attended a funeral or church services over the Easter weekend, Dr. Hanif Kassam, medical officer of health for the region of York, just north of Toronto, told a news conference.
Kassam said the man acted irresponsibly and may still not be taking the matter seriously. Ontario has quarantined nearly 7,000 people -- usually as a voluntarily precaution -- in its bid to rein in Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome, a pneumonia-like illness that originated in southern China.
"My staff made me aware late (Sunday) night that this individual was obnoxious, was threatening. He was belligerent. I find that highly inappropriate," he said.
Kassam added that he may request a written order from a judge to make certain the man remains in quarantine.
The case was the second in two days in which an Ontario health-care professional may have exposed others to the SARS virus.
Officials said on Sunday that a nurse working at Toronto's Mount Sinai Hospital, who is suspected of having SARS, rode a commuter train from Burlington, just west of Toronto, and could have infected those around her.
Mount Sinai said in a statement on Monday that although the nurse had a slight fever and a headache she did not fit the description of a probable SARS case. She was admitted on Tuesday to the hospital as a case under investigation.
SUSPECTED 15TH DEATH
Canada is the only country outside Asia where people have died of SARS, which has killed at least 209 people worldwide, most of them in China and Hong Kong. The flu-like virus has infected nearly 3,900 people in 25 countries and is being spread by travelers.
In Canada there have been 14 deaths, all in the province of Ontario. Health officials are also investigating the April 13 death of a 46-year-old woman in the Philippines who may have contracted SARS in Toronto.
"There are some pieces that suggest that it may not be SARS after all. There are some elements of the investigation that are still under way, but it's not conclusively ruled that it was a SARS case in the first place," Dr. Sheela Basrur, Toronto's medical officer of health, told a news conference.
As of Monday, Canada said there were 316 probable or suspect SARS cases in Ontario, British Columbia, New Brunswick, Saskatchewan, Alberta, and Prince Edward Island.
Ontario officials said on Monday the number of probable and suspect cases in the country's most populous province had risen to 259, an increase of six from Sunday. It said 129 people have been discharged from hospitals in Ontario.
The scare has hurt tourism in Toronto, with hotel workers saying its impact has been worse than that of the Sept. 11 attacks on the United States.
Canada's biggest city has seen canceled conventions, a drop in public transit use and dwindling sales in its Chinatowns. Several countries, including Australia and Ireland, have told their citizens not to visit Toronto.
This is because the Canadian alphabet has no 1,2, etc. --- just zero to denote all nunbers. It works for them: the numbers they don't have they import from the U.S.
Current count 228 (as of April 20); 45 of those are in California.
http://www.cdc.gov/od/oc/media/sars.htm
That compares with 132 cases in all of Canada and 178 in Singapore.
Note - as US numbers have increased, the CDC has decided to change its definition of SARS to lower the count. Under the new definition, US numbers would be 38 or 39.
THIS is possibly the biggest threat to containing a contagion like SARS ...
You're a bit late - it's already arrived. We have about 15 or so confirmed cases here in Florida. No fatalities yet, though, anywhere in the US.
Confirmed cases?
The CDC shows 14 Suspect cases - not even in the 'Probable' category ...
http://www.cdc.gov/od/oc/media/sars.htm
State Total Suspect Probable Cases Cases Cases Florida 14 14 0
You must mean the two categories 'Suspect' and 'Probable':
Total Suspect Probable Cases Cases Cases Total 228 190 38
"Updated Interim U.S. Case Definition of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS)"
from: http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/sars/casedefinition.htm
The previous CDC SARS case definition (published April 16, 2003) has been updated as follows:
- Reported U.S. cases of SARS will be classified as suspect or probable based on the criteria outlined below.
- Toronto, Canada has been added to the areas with documented or suspected community transmission of SARS.
Suspect Case
Respiratory illness of unknown etiology with onset since February 1, 2003, and the following criteria:
- Measured temperature greater than 100.4°F (greater than 38°C) AND
- One or more clinical findings of respiratory illness (e.g., cough, shortness of breath, difficulty breathing, or hypoxia) AND
- Travel within 10 days of onset of symptoms to an area with documented or suspected community transmission of SARS (see list below; excludes areas with secondary cases limited to healthcare workers or direct household contacts) OR
Close contact* within 10 days of onset of symptoms with a person known to be a suspect SARS case.
Probable Case
A 'suspect case' with one of the following:
- Radiographic evidence of pneumonia or respiratory distress syndrome
- Autopsy findings consistent with respiratory distress syndrome without an identifiable cause
Travel includes transit in an airport in an area with documented or suspected community transmission of SARS.
Areas with documented or suspected community transmission of SARS: People's Republic of China (i.e., mainland China and Hong Kong Special Administrative Region); Hanoi, Vietnam; Singapore; and Toronto, Canada.
*Close contact is defined as having cared for, having lived with, or having direct contact with respiratory secretions and/or body fluids of a patient known to be suspect SARS case.
Hmmmm....I wonder if he's a member of a certain belligerent religion.
... know what ya mean ...
And what happened when she decided not to play ball...
OK, I'll skip Toronto this summer
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