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'Belligerent' Canadian Puts Hundreds at SARS Risk
Reuters ^ | Monday April 21, 2003 | Rajiv Sekhri and Jeffrey Hodgson

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.


TOPICS: Canada; Culture/Society; Foreign Affairs; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: sars
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1 posted on 04/21/2003 4:17:56 PM PDT by Willie Green
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To: Willie Green
How come the Patient Zeros are always Canadian?
2 posted on 04/21/2003 4:18:33 PM PDT by Timesink
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To: Willie Green
In Canada (and for PC diseases in the US) its your cival right to infect whoever you want.
3 posted on 04/21/2003 4:23:56 PM PDT by Voltage
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To: Voltage
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.



When it really starts to hit their economy and their pockets, watch how fast they demand that something be done to stop its spread. Ontario, Canada will wake up then.

4 posted on 04/21/2003 5:54:17 PM PDT by travelnurse
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To: Timesink
Patient Zero for the AIDs Epidemic in North America was a French Canadian. Arrogant and uncaring would describe Mr. Zero Aids also.
5 posted on 04/21/2003 5:59:54 PM PDT by vetvetdoug
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To: Timesink
How come the Patient Zeros are always Canadian?

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.

6 posted on 04/21/2003 6:00:40 PM PDT by TopQuark
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To: travelnurse
When it spreads in the U.S., and I believe it certainly will, I hope no-one out there has money in the stock market. It will make 9-11 look like a minor correction of a "few points".
7 posted on 04/21/2003 6:04:26 PM PDT by last_one_standing
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To: last_one_standing
When it spreads in 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.

8 posted on 04/21/2003 6:25:56 PM PDT by PAR35
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To: PAR35
No one has died from SARS in the U.S., as compared with Canada's 15 who have died from it.
9 posted on 04/21/2003 6:28:35 PM PDT by travelnurse
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To: Willie Green
Kassam said the man acted irresponsibly and may still not be taking the matter seriously

THIS is possibly the biggest threat to containing a contagion like SARS ...

10 posted on 04/21/2003 6:32:16 PM PDT by _Jim (y)
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To: Willie Green
Imagine if someone decides this would make a good terrorist weapon. Send in a few people to get infected then send them on a 7 day travel 'junket'.
11 posted on 04/21/2003 6:32:17 PM PDT by Brian S (YOU'RE IT!)
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To: last_one_standing
When it spreads in the U.S., and I believe it certainly will...

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.

12 posted on 04/21/2003 6:34:42 PM PDT by CFC__VRWC
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To: CFC__VRWC
We have about 15 or so confirmed cases

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

13 posted on 04/21/2003 6:41:38 PM PDT by _Jim (y)
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To: PAR35
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.

You must mean the two categories 'Suspect' and 'Probable':

        Total  Suspect  Probable
        Cases  Cases    Cases     

Total    228    190      38

14 posted on 04/21/2003 6:44:10 PM PDT by _Jim (y)
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To: _Jim
Thanks for the info - that's what I get for relying on the media around here.
15 posted on 04/21/2003 6:49:16 PM PDT by CFC__VRWC
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To: PAR35
Here's the official:

"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:

Suspect Case

Respiratory illness of unknown etiology with onset since February 1, 2003, and the following criteria:

Probable Case

A 'suspect case' with one of the following:

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.


16 posted on 04/21/2003 6:52:26 PM PDT by _Jim (z)
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To: Willie Green
The [belligerent] man, whose name officials did not disclose,

Hmmmm....I wonder if he's a member of a certain belligerent religion.

17 posted on 04/21/2003 6:53:39 PM PDT by Mr. Mojo
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To: CFC__VRWC
that's what I get for relying on the media around here.

... know what ya mean ...

18 posted on 04/21/2003 6:53:40 PM PDT by _Jim (z)
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To: Willie Green
Someone needs to tell this clown the tale of Typhoid Mary.

And what happened when she decided not to play ball...

19 posted on 04/21/2003 6:56:25 PM PDT by Jhoffa_ (It's called "adoption" Perhaps you've heard of it?)
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To: Willie Green
Several countries, including Australia and Ireland, have told their citizens not to visit Toronto.


OK, I'll skip Toronto this summer

20 posted on 04/21/2003 6:59:39 PM PDT by george wythe
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