Teen's case raises doubts about 10-day quarantine [SARS]

Globe & Mail ^ | 2003-05-29 | ANDRÉ PICARD

[aristeides]

I wonder if the incubation period is longer for teenagers.

[Judith Anne]

This remark jumped right out:

Dr. Young added that it's already difficult to enforce a 10-day quarantine, and extending it to 14 days would pose too much of a hardship.

This just infuriates me. Dr. Young can tell that to the new victims.

[aristeides]

Canada Quarantines 5,000 Due to SARS.

[aristeides]

Londoners under SARS quarantine: The 13 people had contact with Toronto hospitals or people suspected of having the deadly illness. That's London, Ontario. The quarantine is spreading, first from Toronto to Peterborough, now to London.

[aristeides]

Drunks broke into isolation ward to see Sars patient. Not a bright move.

[aristeides]

Taiwan reports biggest increase in SARS cases in six days .

[Judith Anne]

From your link in #4, I see that the quarantine is still 10 days.

I'm going to my favorite place right now: the edge of a limb. I predict that very soon, within two weeks, the 10 day quarantine limit will be publicly acknowledged to be too short, and two weeks will be recommended. In my opinion, it should be three weeks minimum.

[TaxRelief]

Longer incubation period? It is more likely that he picked it up in the home sometime later.

Questions that need answers :
(1)Did his mother have the diarrhea variety?
(2) Did the house get sterilized?
(3) Did the teenager stay out of his mother's room after she left?

[TaxRelief]

Why do you think the quarantine period is too short?

[Judith Anne]

Good question...contaminated objects could account for some transmission after 10 days...and truthfully, I'm not sure exactly why I'm going out on this limb. I do know that some recovered SARS victims continue to shed virus in stool for an extended period (over two weeks) after they "get well." Such a person, if not scrupulous about hygiene, could transmit the virus.

I don't know if any studies have been done, referencing shedding virus in coughs, sneezes, etc. I can't remember reading any, but that doesn't mean they weren't done.

Call it an uninformed, strong hunch. And I can be (and have been) wrong. As I said, I'm going way way out on a limb, here.

[TaxRelief]

Another point:

"Ribavirin may cause anemia, which is a decrease in the number of red blood cells in the body. This can be dangerous, especially for patients who already have heart or circulatory problems. Your doctor will want to check your red blood cell count before starting treatment and periodically during treatment." link

>

"Do not take ribavirin without first talking to your doctor if you have

• a history of heart disease, high blood pressure, or a heart attack;
• a hemoglobin disorder such as anemia (low red blood cell count), thalassemia (Mediterranean anemia), or sickle-cell anemia;
• pancreatitis;
• kidney problems;
• liver problems (other than hepatitis C infection);
• mental health problems such as depression or anxiety;
• a history of organ transplant;
• thyroid disease;
• alcoholism or drug abuse or addiction;
• cancer;
• infection with hepatitis B virus and/or human immunodeficiency virus (HIV or AIDS);
• diabetes; or
• past interferon treatment for hepatitis C virus infection that did not work for you.

You may not be able to take ribavirin or you may require a dosage adjustment or special monitoring during treatment if you have an of the conditions listed above."

[EternalHope]

Two Chinese men have been jailed for breaking into a hospital isolation ward to see what a Sars patient looked like.

Darwin awards?

[TaxRelief]

More on rivavirin:

Stop taking ribavirin and seek emergency medical attention or call your doctor immediately if you experience

• an allergic reaction (difficulty breathing; closing of the throat; swelling of the lips, tongue, or face; or hives);
• depression or suicidal thoughts;
• chest, arm or neck pain; or
• trouble breathing or increased cough.

  link

[Judith Anne]

Good posts on ribavirin. Thanks, because I've gone on record several times as saying that ribavirin is a poor treatment for SARS. Now they're saying in Canada that it doesn't make any difference, and have stopped using it.

[TX Bluebonnet]

I thought I had read somewhere that the incubation period was more like 20 days. Anyone else remember that?

[TaxRelief]

The researchers noted that virtually all the SARS patients reported lingering effects of the illness, including severe insomnia, depression and shortness of breath. At least one continues to suffer from unexplained fevers almost nightly. Most will likely require some psychological counselling to deal with the trauma.

The researchers said that at first, all the patients were treated with ribavirin, a powerful antimicrobial, but it was discontinued in all but two of them because of side effects. They recovered without the drug. Dr. Avendano said this suggests that ribavirin is not an effective treatment for SARS and may actually make the condition worse.

The ribavirin stuff is posted in response to the last two paragraphs in the posted article.

[Judith Anne]

Thanks. BTW, it's VERY hard to sleep when you are short of breath...

[twigs]

I work in a small office and half of them are going to Toronto in June for a conference. I think they're crazy. I was going to take the three days off after their return, but now I'm taking the following week off as well, a total of 8 days. I'm not happy about using all of my vacation time because of their stupidity, but I have a daughter at home with asthma. If it were not for steroids, she would not have survived several past colds.

[Judith Anne]

Air hunger is excruciating. I did have asthma as a child, outgrew it. I'll keep your child in my prayers.