A passenger who flew in with cough tests positive for SARS

Indian Express ^ | April 19, 2003 | Toufiq Rashid

[CathyRyan]

New Delhi, April 18: One more patient ‘‘assumed to be normal’’ by the health authorities has tested positive for SARS in the preliminary Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) tests.

The patient is a 42-year-old tourist from New Zealand who landed at the Indira Gandhi International Airport, New Delhi, from Bangkok at around 11 pm on Thursday night. He has been admitted to the Ram Manohar Lohia hospital

According to sources at the National Institute of Communicable Diseases, New Delhi, the genetic sequencing is being matched and the results would be declared in the next 24 hours.

The New Zealander was moved to the hospital with symptoms such as cough and breathlessness. Even at today’s briefing, the officials in the Health Ministry declared him to be ‘not fitting in the WHO definition of the disease’ — just like they did in the case of Prashil Varde, the first SARS case in the country.

The official version this evening was the patient was ‘afebrile’ with no symptoms. ‘‘His X-ray is normal and he has no fever,’’ they said. According to sources at the airport, the patient had attracted attention of the doctors at the health counters as he showed breathlessness. According to the NICD, the passenger had travelled to Australia where he stayed in New Port with his brother who was suspected to be infected and had suspected to be infected and had been quarantined. He had also stayed in Bangkok for 13 hours before flying to India.

[CathyRyan]

and had suspected to be infected

posted twice in the article. It is my error and not the author's.

[Dog Gone]

He had also stayed in Bangkok for 13 hours before flying to India.

I wonder how many he infected at the Bangkok airport, in addition to other passengers on the planes from Australia, and to India.

[blam]

A passenger who flew in with cough tests positive for SARS

Toufiq Rashid

New Delhi, April 18: One more patient ‘‘assumed to be normal’’ by the health authorities has tested positive for SARS in the preliminary Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) tests.

The patient is a 42-year-old tourist from New Zealand who landed at the Indira Gandhi International Airport, New Delhi, from Bangkok at around 11 pm on Thursday night. He has been admitted to the Ram Manohar Lohia hospital.

According to sources at the National Institute of Communicable Diseases, New Delhi, the genetic sequencing is being matched and the results would be declared in the next 24 hours.

The New Zealander was moved to the hospital with symptoms such as cough and breathlessness. Even at today’s briefing, the officials in the Health Ministry declared him to be ‘not fitting in the WHO definition of the disease’ — just like they did in the case of Prashil Varde, the first SARS case in the country.

The official version this evening was the patient was ‘afebrile’ with no symptoms. ‘‘His X-ray is normal and he has no fever,’’ they said. According to sources at the airport, the patient had attracted attention of the doctors at the health counters as he showed breathlessness. According to the NICD, the passenger had travelled to Australia where he stayed in New Port with his brother who was suspected to be infected and had been quarantined. He had also stayed in Bangkok for 13 hours before flying to India.

Meanwhile, a 7-year-old girl who had come from Beijing on April 5 has reported symptoms like cough and cold. The girl was first admitted to AIIMS and later moved to the Infectious Diseases Hospital. The NICD team took samples of blood and sputum and the girl was discharged as she ‘‘did not fit into the WHO defination of SARS.’’

‘‘The family from Sushant Lok in Gurgoan were working in Beijing and returned home after the SARS scare. She developed some symptoms and her parents took her to the hospital. She was discharged after a few hours of monitoring in the hospital,’’ said Dr Shiv Lal, director, NICD. SARS is being ruled out by the doctors though confirmatory reports are still awaited. ‘‘It has been 12 days since she landed in Delhi and the symptoms don’t fit the SARS case defination,’’ he said.

[giotto]

Then Air India flies to New York, which means that avoiding only flights from Asia will not be enough. This may finish off the airlines.

[blam]

HK SARS Deaths Reach New High

[xJones]

declared him to be ‘not fitting in the WHO definition of the disease’ — just like they did in the case of Prashil Varde, the first SARS case in the country.

It seems that the Indian officials are trying to go by the WHO book, and two cases at least originally misled them into thinking it wasn't SARS. Hmmmm....

[Dog Gone]

The most aggressive efforts I've seen anywhere to contain SARS are occurring in Toronto. More than 7,000 people there have been quarantined at home for 10 days at some point over the past month.

If Canadian health officials can't stop the spread of SARS (and it appears that they haven't) with these measures, there is no hope for the third world countries at all.

Every international flight is now a risk.

[CathyRyan]

Thank you! I got to a point in the article and did not finish reading it. Lesson learned. :)

[CathyRyan]

the patient was ‘afebrile’ with no symptoms

[aristeides]

If he was breathless and had a cough, it's not quite true that he was symptomless. But up until now, the high fever has been considered the most identifying symptom, and that thought may have to be discarded.

The man in Goa appears not to have been infectious. Let's hope that also true of similar cases like this one.

[per loin]

Apparently we have not been aggressive in following up on US people who've been to Toronto. The CDC is now checking into a Pennslyvania woman who attended that religious retreat in Toronto and may have SARS. All Americans who went there, or to that wake and funeral, should also be under quarantine.

[Cicero]

It's much too late to control the spread of SARS. Quarantining this man may slightly delay the spread of the virus into India, but it won't possibly stop it. He probably infected several dozen other people in the course of his travels, and they will be going in all directions before the symptoms manifest themselves.

Only a complete cutoff of travel to China, Hong Kong, and Singapore could have stopped the spread, and evidently that was too drastic a step for health authorities to agree on. Now it's out of the box. Of course all travel to China could never be stopped indefinitely, but it might have allowed another year or so to work on a vaccine. Too late now. At best they can only slow its spread a little.

[riri]

The most aggressive efforts I've seen anywhere to contain SARS are occurring in Toronto

IMO, the Canadians have dropped the ball...royally. At least one person from that religous sect was turned away from the ER 3 times and told he didn't have SARS. Even when he fit the criteria during an outbreak.

[_Jim]

It's much too late to control the spread of SARS.

REALLY!!!!

What do you suggest doctor?

[Judith Anne]

Bump.

[Dog Gone]

That's true, but remember that we still don't have a quick diagnostic test. That is the single biggest problem we have today.

[Domestic Church]

I think the quarantine in Canada is a voluntary one too. Meanwhile somebody up there, who later came down with SARS, was at a conference of 450 people, 90 of whom were from the US.

And this is possibly/probably (take your pick) just the first part of the wave.

I'm wondering which would do me more good in stress reduction during a quarantine(with a bunch of kids underfoot) ...a keyboard or an electric guitair.

[CathyRyan]

Either one would make a good club. ;)

[gogov]

where he stayed in New Port with his brother who was suspected to be infected and had suspected to be infected and had been quarantined.

He was with someone who was suspected of being infected with SARS and then he gets on a plane and travel to another country? Wow. Really stupid.