Mysterious SARS-like virus spreads Death toll hits 11 in British Columbia;

Canada.com ^ | 8-20-03 | John Bermingham and Mary Vallis

[Logical Extinction]

VANCOUVER -- Another person has died as medical officials in Surrey, B.C., try to decode an outbreak of a mysterious SARS-like virus.

The illness has raised fears of a new outbreak of the dreaded disease in Western Canada and it is spreading, but experts are cautioning Canadians not to jump to the conclusion that the respiratory illness is to blame.

A second nursing home in Surrey has had nine cases of a respiratory illness among its elderly residents. And, last week, the Kinsmen Place Lodge, also in Surrey, reported 143 cases of a similar illness. Another person at the lodge died from complications from pneumonia yesterday, bringing the death toll to 11.

At Surrey Memorial Hospital, 19 workers are in home quarantine after they came into contact with a patient sent there from the lodge.

At a briefing in Vancouver yesterday, B.C.'s public health community downplayed earlier statements the coronavirus was in fact SARS.

"We all agree the illness is not SARS," said provincial health officer Dr. Perry Kendall. He added that some of the sick people have tested positive for a coronavirus similar to SARS.

"The full implications are not known at this time," he added.

Dr. Frank Plummer, director of the National Microbiology Lab in Winnipeg, said that while he found a perfect match between the mystery virus and SARS during genetic sequencing tests, the specimen was so small as to be inconclusive.

He said only one or two per cent of the virus's genetic sequence has been tested, leaving 98 per cent unexamined.

Dr. Plummer said the virus is either a mutant form of SARS or a milder form of SARS itself. The World Health Organization has dispatched an expert to Winnipeg to study the virus.

"Should this turn out to be the SARS coronavirus, it proves it still might be circulating on planet Earth," said Dr. David Patrick, director of epidemiology at the B.C. Centre for Disease Control. Dr. Katrin Leitmeyer, a virologist and epidemiologist with the World Health Organization who is consulting with officials at the National Microbiology Laboratory, said in an interview that WHO is not considering putting Canada back on its list of countries to avoid travelling to, as the mysterious outbreak in Surrey seems to be an isolated event. There does not seem to be a danger of transmission to the general public and the outbreak already seems to be past its peak, she said.

Tests conducted National Microbiology Laboratory have shown the virus is a coronavirus, but there has been no confirmation it is the same coronavirus that caused the SARS outbreak, she said.

The only way to prove whether the virus is definitively the same one that caused the SARS outbreak would be to sequence its entire genome. There is also no clear connection between the nursing home and any cases of SARS, and the symptoms of the patients at the home are much milder than those of the virus that killed hundreds of people worldwide earlier this year.

Dr. Leitmeyer said there are three main hypotheses on the new cases: they were caused by the SARS coronavirus; they were caused by the SARS coronavirus, but the virus has changed; or the virus is another coronavirus altogether.

[StolarStorm]

scary. The common cold now kills.

[Judith Anne]

A "hmmmmm....." bump.

[harpseal]

A previous article pointed out the tests so far are consitent with SARS.

[Judith Anne]

Yes, I saw that. But I think that the SARS tests are still inconclusive and too vague for accurately identifying the lethal form of coronavirus. Also, scientists have not been able to get more than 2% of the virus from this new outbreak for sequence matching, if I read it correctly--who knows what the other 98% will reveal?

On one hand, this may be the tip of the fall epidemic beginning...on the other hand, it could be the last we see of the lethal SARS virus...in my opinion, there's no way to know. And will BC release the information quickly if it IS the lethal form? Or will they use the Toronto protocol, and take action so late that many die and nurses are forced to go to the press to get action? So many questions....

[TBall]

If this is sars and it's back in Canada, then I wonder where else it is reemerging.

[dawn53]

My neighbor was in north Georgia on vacation about 2 weeks ago. Got a cough, the cough got worse, checked into a local hospital and in 2 days he was dead from "pneumonia."
He was only in his early 60's. They didn't identify it as SARS, just said he had a resistent form of pneumonia, but it killed him so fast, it was a shock to all involved and nobody has thought to question the diagnosis.

[harpseal]

Or will they use the Toronto protocol, and take action so late that many die and nurses are forced to go to the press to get action?

If only I could find someone to bet they will not use the Troronto protocal I could get rich.

[Judith Anne]

Thanks for the report. Good question. My condolences to his family and friends.

[Judith Anne]

I think you're right.

[Judith Anne]

China, Guangdong province, absolutely.

[expatpat]

That antibiotic-resistant pneumonia has been around for a while -- Jim Henson, the puppet guy, died the same way, very quickly from it.

The abuse of antibiotics and the resulting appearance of resistant strains of bacteria is scarier than terrorism to me.

[xzins]

What are the symptoms of SARS?

[Domestic Church]

The Canadian Geese are migrating south so it is the beginning of actual fall season up in the northwoods. The timing fits.

[Judith Anne]

Thanks, I didn't think of that...it's been over a hundred for a few days here.

[Dr. Eckleburg]

http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/sars/factsheet.htm

Not very reassuring.

[concerned about politics]

"The full implications are not known at this time," he added.

They're replacing the word of God with the Doctrine of sodomy. Heck, this is just the beginning. Right now, they're still on easy street.

[Dr. Eckleburg]

previously unrecognized coronavirus

Still wondering if it's a spliced common cold germ/SARS/anthrax hybrid.

[blam]

Concerned bump.

We're having EEE problems this year down here, two humans dead, age 8 and 67. Dead horses are being diagnosed with EEE and WNV both as cause of death.

[Judith Anne]

Sorry to hear that...