[per loin]

I'd guess that anybody who has been to the area and has any cough or fever is being looked at as a "possible". But the story of a flight engineer being one of the afflicted in Hong Kong is very scary. The cockpit of a plane is small. Air is recirculated. The crew is in close contact for extended periods. If someone starts coughing, or feels sick, he cannot leave. And any crew members in the infectious stage could pass the bug to folks from around the world.

[Mother Abigail]

French doctor in Vietnam dies from mystery pneumonia

March 19 2003

Hanoi: A French doctor who treated the first case of the mystery respiratory illness diagnosed in Vietnam died today after contracting the virus, the French embassy said.

Jean-Paul Derosier, a 65-year-old anaesthetist, had been in a critical condition for several days at the French Hospital in Hanoi.

He had been in direct contact with a 48-year-old American who fell ill during a business trip to Hanoi and died in hospital last week in Hong Kong from the virus known as Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS).

A Vietnamese nurse who was also involved in the treatment of the American died over the weekend. A total of 54 cases of the illness have been diagnosed so far in Vietnam.

At least six deaths - two in Canada, two in Hong Kong and two in Vietnam - have now been attributed to the disease, which has been described as an atypical pneumonia or influenza-like illness.  

[Judith Anne]

Back when smoking was allowed on the airlines, outside air was used to assist ventilation in the passenger cabins...I know you were posting about cockpits, and I know nothing about the far east planes and their construction, or if smoking is allowed on any of them today...but I do recall reading somewhere that 02 levels are lower on planes today...