Authorities rule out SARS in death of Bulgarian seaman off Brazilian coast (2nd mysterious death)

SAO PAULO, Brazil (CP) - Authorities in Brazil's northeastern state of Alagoas on Thursday ruled out SARS in the death of a Bulgarian seaman aboard a cargo vessel.

Todor Andrev Petrov, 48, died Wednesday, hours after the Cypriot-flagged ship Mike M. left the port of Suape in neighbouring Pernambuco state en route to Argentina. After discovering Petrov had died, the captain headed to Maceio, 2,000 kilometres northeast of Sao Paulo.

"Preliminary results of the tests . . . have ruled out the possibility of SARS as the cause of death," said Ronaldo Lima, spokesman for the Alagoas health department.

Lima earlier said Petrov had symptoms consistent with severe acute respiratory syndrome before he died.

"We have not ruled out the possibility that he may have died of some other disease like meningitis, botulism or leptosprosis, which is carried by rats," Lima said by telephone from Maceio, capital of Alagoas state.

None of the other 24 crew members of the Mike M. were ill, he said, and the quarantine on the ship was to be lifted Friday.

Petrov left the Bulgarian capital of Sofia on April 25, stopped over in Zurich and arrived in Rio de Janeiro the following day. He flew to Recife, where he boarded the ship on April 26, Lima said.

Petrov was the second foreign seaman in a month to die of a mysterious disease off Brazil's coast.

Ibrahim Sayed Soliman Ibrahim of Egypt died on April 11 aboard the Egyptian government-owned ship Wadi Al Arab, which was en route to Canada. The ship was placed under quarantine and ordered to stay anchored offshore east of Halifax.

Initial tests showed Ibrahim had died of anthrax, but authorities later ruled that out and said more tests were needed to identify the cause of death.

Here's a report from Alagoas state:

Maceió already has first suspicious case of Sars

Member of the crew of ship dies in high-sea, with symptoms of Asian pneumonia; body is in the IML and will be submitted to the viral analysis EDNELSON FEITOSA and ANA MÁRCIA the Medical Institute Legal Estácio de Lima received, in the afternoon of yesterday, the corpse of the marine Bulgarian Todor Nadrev Petrov, 48 years, member of the crew of the ship cipriota Mike-M, that died, yesterday, in high-sea, with symptoms of the Asian pneumonia, the Respiratory Syndrome Severe Acute (Sars), between them, high fever, pains in the body and fatigue. Employees of the Williams Maritime Services, responsible company for the boat, had informed that the sailor embarked in Sofia, in Bulgaria, passing for some European ports, until if directing for Argentina. In Brazil, the ship passed for Rio De Janeiro and Recife, carrying a seasoning load, when one of its 23 members of the crew suffered the sudden evil and faleceu.

It has information, not confirmed, of that it was of another ship and had embarked in the Mike-M, in Pernambuco. The doctor of the Williams, Márcio Mota, informed, in the IML, that other sailors had disclosed that the Bulgarian complained of high fever and pains in the meetings, little before entering in eat. In the luggage of the sailor, the staff of the Anvisa found antibiotics.

Inspection the Mike-M must remain anchored about three kilometers of the beach per ten days, for order of the Sanitary Monitoring that it initiated, yesterday exactly, the inspection work. The concern of the sector of public health of the State still has for base information appeared in the wharf of the Port of Maceió, according to which, part of the members of the crew or the sailor dead had passed for Singapura, where the first cases of the Asian pneumonia had occurred.

The secretary-executive of Health, Alvaro Axe, determined immediate steps to investigate the causes of the death of Todor Andrev. For the secretary, it is little probable that the death has been for Asian pneumonia, but samples of harvested material will be sent for the Fiocruz, in Rio De Janeiro, for viral analysis. we?Estamos investigating the possibility of death for leptospirose, botulismo, sudden meningite, among others illnesses. It had a sudden death, in less 24-hour, after the presentation of symptoms as high peak of temperature, muscular pains in the inferior members and history of convulsion, the secretary told.

Of the point of view epidemiologist, he has preoccupying data: the member of the crew covered some airports, in less than ten days: in 25 of April, Todor left Sofia, in Bulgaria, for Zurich, was then for Rio De Janeiro and Recife, where it embarked in the cargo ship, with destination to Argentina.

Hanta virus is indeed a possibility, and mentioned in this article

http://www.ojornal-al.com.br/cidade01.asp

Patologista discards Asian pneumonia, but finding of the autopsy alone leaves today Medical team used special protection to make autopsy in the IML The flag ship Greek Mike M is anchored in the cove of Jaraguá, due to sudden death of a man who was on board. The body of the Bulgarian Todor Andrev Petrov, of 48 years, was transferred for the IML, to be submitted to the autopsy that goes to determine the cause of the death. The examination was made yesterday to the night. But, according to local representation of the National Agency of Sanitary Monitoring, is discarded the possibility of Serious Acute Respiratory Syndrome (Asian pneumonia). Because of the fast evolution of the illness and the told symptoms, it had suspicion of illnesses as leptospirose and hantavirose. The executive Secretary of Health, Alvaro Axe, informed yesterday to the night, by means of the assessorship of the press of the Sesau, precocious being to make assumptions, because the presented symptoms are common to some illnesses. we?Estamos investigating the possibility of death for leptospirose, botulismo, sudden meningite, among others illnesses. It had a sudden death, in less 24 hours, after the presentation of symptoms as high peak of temperature, muscular pains in the inferior members and history of convulsion, it said, after to receive report from the National Agency of Sanitary Monitoring (Anvisa), in Alagoas. The autopsy examination was made yesterday to the same night, but until the closing of the edition, it had not left the result. Alvaro Axe determined the accomplishment of anátomo-pathological examination. The Central Laboratory (Lacen) was in charge them bacteriological examinations of kidneys, brain, lung, heart and pâncreas. we?Vamos to try, still, the collection of blood to make the toxicológico examination, in a form to identify the cause of the death, it affirmed Alvaro Axe. The analyses to define that bacteria would have infectado the passenger will be made by the proper Lacen. However, the examinations for virus identification will be the position of the Foundation Osvaldo Institute Cross (Fiocruz), in the River, for where part of the samples will only be sent in the monday. Until the ship it will remain there in Maceió. The death occurred for return of 21h of the tuesday, what it compelled the boat to land, making a stop not foreseen. Alvaro Axe said that today per the morning, from the 8 hours, he will have a rigorous inquiry epidemiologist in the ship, that is of forty days. Nobody can leave the boat without authorization of the Anvisa and the Executive Secretariat of the Health. The friend of Todor Andrev, that travelled all these days to its side, will be the first one to be examined. Ship already was inspected, but it is of forty days according to sanitarista Joaquina Alves, of the port rank of the Anvisa, inspectors of the agency already had made an internal inspection with the ship to the plaza (without being come alongside). But, because of the episode, it Maceió cannot leave nor its 20 members of the crew can disembark. The cargo ship lode of Argentina with a shipment of maize, that was disembarked in the port of Suape, in Recife. There, as they determine international the sanitary norms, the ship passed for an inspection, also to the plaza, for the fact of being the first port where it came alongside in the Country. In the inspection, no indication of illnesses was not identified. After the operation in the pernambucano port, the freighter initiated the trip of return to Argentina. Before passing for Maceió, the occupant died. The body of Todor Petrov was rank in the refrigerator of the IML. Despite the contamination risk, the employees who had been to collect used it only face masks. After the examinations, the cadavérico finding and the death certificate one will be emitted, requirements for transfer of the body its native country. The port authority of Alagoas, commander Rasp Son, said that he does not have reason for apprehension. will be evidenced that it was natural death, the ship will be set free. Of the the opposite, the case could be directed to the Federal Policy. It said, still, that any measure of the Navy in relation

"Estamos investigating the possibility of death for leptospirose, botulismo, sudden meningite, among others illnesses. It had a sudden death, in less 24-hour, after the presentation of symptoms as high peak of temperature, muscular pains in the inferior members and history of convulsion, the secretary told.

Interesting. I just hope that we will find out what he and the other sailor really died of, before it turns into some epidemic or bioterror attack. Looks like the Brazilians are at least taking all this seriously enough and working to find out the real cause.

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$5 on hantavirus.