Posted on 08/28/2003 2:41:19 PM PDT by pops88
Hospitals have been placed on high alert over a mystery disease that has killed three people. Two died within an hour of collapsing.
Health authorities said last night that they were startled at the sudden deaths of two women and a man in Dunedin and were "very concerned" that the disease killed so quickly.
They issued a nationwide alert, mostly to warn hospitals to watch out for symptoms but also to find out whether the disease had spread beyond Dunedin.
At a press conference last night, they ruled out Sars as a cause but said they had no idea what killed the three - or even whether it was contagious. They urged people to be careful with hygiene, to curb a possible spread of the disease.
(Excerpt) Read more at nzherald.co.nz ...
All had massive bleeding in the lungs.
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Click to scroll to commentary.br> Panel wonders if West Nile is bioterrorism
ElPaso Times ^ | Monday, March 17, 2003 | Diana Washington Valdez
Posted on 03/17/2003 7:57 AM PST by pwatson
Panel wonders if West Nile is bioterrorism, Diana Washington Valdez El Paso Times
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Is West Nile virus bioterror?
The U.S.-Mexico Border Commission plans to take up as one of its topics later this year the West Nile virus. Dr. Laurance Nickey, one of the commissioners, said experts are projecting a favorable season for the mosquito that transmits the virus. It is intriguing that the Centers for Disease Control says on its Web site that the virus was not detected in the Western Hemisphere until 1999, when it hit New York City. Before that, the CDC reports, the virus was common in Africa, Eastern Europe, West Asia and the Middle East. "It is most closely related genetically to strains found in the Middle East," the CDC says. The U.S. public health institution also says it has no clue how the virus arrived in the United States, except that it had to come by an infected mosquito, bird or human. The virus is not transmitted by humans or by birds or other animals. It is spread by infected mosquitoes. It is closely related to the St. Louis encephalitis virus, and although researchers are working to develop a vaccine, there was no known treatment or vaccine to protect against the virus.
U.S. to Iraq?
Is it possible that the presence of West Nile virus in the United States is a form of bioterror, as some gulf war military veterans have suggested? We went from zero cases before the New York outbreak to 3,852 human cases nationwide as of late December 2002, including 232 fatalities. The virus has been detected in 39 states, including Texas and New Mexico, and in Washington, D.C. The most severe form involves encephalitis, or swelling of the brain, and those older than 50 are at high risk. West Nile Fever virus is one of the pathogens shipped from the United States to Basrah, Iraq, on May 21, 1985, according to a May 25, 1994, report of the U.S. Senate Committee on Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs. The information was revealed during hearings on gulf war illness, spearheaded by Sens. Donald Riegle Jr. and Alfonse D'Amato.
U.S. approval
The report said that "the Centers for Disease Control has compiled a listing of biological materials shipped to Iraq prior to the gulf war. The listing covers ... Oct. 1, 1984, (when the CDC began keeping records) through Oct. 13, 1993. The following materials with biological warfare significance were shipped to Iraq during this period," the report said. Other items sent to Iraq for the purposes of research and with the U.S. Commerce Department's approval were a bacteria that causes anthrax, a bacterial source of botulinum toxin and brucella melitensis, which causes chronic fatigue and organ damage.
It could be that West Nile virus found its way here naturally. Or, it could be the result of domestic or external bioterror. If our country had the virus and it was kept available for worldwide research, then it's possible Iraq or some other country sent it back, intentionally or accidentally.
Because authorities haven't found the "anthrax killer" who surfaced shortly after the Sept. 11 attacks, a home-grown terrorist could have set the virus loose in the U.S. Regardless of how it happened, the CDC said the virus is here to stay.
Diana Washington Valdez may be reached at dvaldez@elpasotimes.com
:-(
So9
I heard that there were some mysterious sicknesses among the staff at Sibley Hospital in D.C. after a nurse came back from the Philippines.
National alert on mystery deaths
29.08.2003
By SCOTT MacLEOD
Hospitals have been placed on high alert over a mystery disease that has killed three people. Two died within an hour of collapsing.
Health authorities said last night that they were startled at the sudden deaths of two women and a man in Dunedin and were "very concerned" that the disease killed so quickly.
They issued a nationwide alert, mostly to warn hospitals to watch out for symptoms but also to find out whether the disease had spread beyond Dunedin.
At a press conference last night, they ruled out Sars as a cause but said they had no idea what killed the three - or even whether it was contagious. They urged people to be careful with hygiene, to curb a possible spread of the disease.
Otago medical officer of health Dr John Holmes said the dead people were aged 40 to 60 with no other potentially fatal health problems.
They seemed to have died from heavy bleeding into the lungs, although one woman who lingered for 12 hours in hospital showed some pneumonia symptoms.
"They were well, and we would not normally expect them to die suddenly," he said. "It's an extremely unusual situation."
The Director-General of Health, Dr Karen Poutasi, said all New Zealand hospitals had been asked to be on the lookout for similar deaths.
"We have asked all health boards to be put on alert," she said. "This is a very low number of cases, but the ministry wants to know whether there are more."
Dr Tim Blackmore, of the Institute of Environmental Science and Research, said a major effort had been made to isolate and identify the disease, but scientists in several laboratories had drawn a blank.
Authorities yesterday refused to give details of the deaths to protect relatives, but said the three died within 10 days of one another.
Last night, the grieving husband of one victim warned people to watch carefully for signs of illness.
"I think anyone who feels unwell should go straight to ER or their doctor and get checked, for God only knows what, because when this kicks in you haven't got a lot of time," said the man, who did not want names or other details published.
His wife had some meningitis-like symptoms in the week before her death, but that had been ruled out as a cause, he said.
The death had left him, their three children and grandchildren with a huge hole in their lives, made worse by the lack of any explanation for the untimely loss.
"I don't know how or why she died.
"Whatever happened was very, very sudden. There wasn't any warning as such. It happened within half an hour's time from what we can pin down."
The couple were married for 35 years.
Asked why it took so long to alert the public to the disease, Ministry of Health spokesman Peter Abernethy said it took time for authorities to realise what they were dealing with.
"It's only when you get cases in a cluster that you treat it as unusual."
Doctors said all three people were from the same part of Dunedin, but there was no indication they knew one another or had travelled overseas this year.
Two had "almost literally dropped dead", said one doctor at the conference.
The third, a woman, collapsed after seeing her doctor and was revived.
But she died 12 hours later in hospital.
Dr Holmes said a detailed investigation into the deaths was being done for the coroner. It would include detailed talks with relatives and the diagnosis of specimens.
He urged doctors who were dealing with patients showing unusual symptoms to use gloves, gowns and masks.
A Dunedin Hospital spokesman said tests to pinpoint the cause of death were continuing.
Tests had been run for almost every known virus, with no result so far.
Samples were being sent to the United States Centres for Disease Control in Atlanta for testing.
The centres had suggested several diseases, but these did not occur in New Zealand and none developed as rapidly.
Hospitals in Auckland, Waikato and Canterbury confirmed last night that they had been alerted and were watching for symptoms.
In Auckland, a regional pandemic committee will meet this morning. Auckland medical officer of health Dr Craig Thornley said the meeting would help share information among the three health boards in the region, the GP network and St John Ambulance.
New Zealand on high alert after sudden deaths
----------------------
Health authorities tonight were on high alert in New Zealand following the sudden deaths of 3 people suffering pneumonia-like symptoms in the southern city of Dunedin.
Otago Medical Officer of Health John Holmes said in a statement the 3 cases were all individuals in their 40s and 50s who would not normally be expected to die suddenly.
All 3 patients came from a small geographical area in Dunedin and suddenly fell ill, dying within hours, Holmes said.
Preliminary indications for all three cases suggested pneumonia, he said.
Health authorities around the world have been on heightened alert since the global outbreak of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS), a form of atypical pneumonia, which killed more than 800 people earlier this year.
--
ProMED-mail
******
[2] Date: 28 Aug 2003
From: ProMED-mail
Source: The New Zealand Herald 28 Aug 2003 9:00 PM [edited]
Some time before mystery deaths explained say health officials
------------------------------
Health authorities tonight warned it could be some time before the cause of 3 recent unexplained deaths in Dunedin is known.
The three deaths were revealed by health officials today, with a media conference called tonight to put to rest speculation about the deaths.
The 3 dead people were all in their 40s and 50s with no obvious risk factors who would not normally be expected to die suddenly, Otago Medical Officer of Health Dr John Holmes said today.
The 3 died from pulmonary haemorrhage, but the cause of the bleeding into their lungs was yet to be determined, Dr Holmes told the media briefing.
He and other health authorities warned that a wide variety of potential causes of death were being investigated, and "it could be quite some time" before the cause of the deaths was known.
"We're doing all we can to find the cause."
While the 3 people lived close by in Dunedin, they seemed to have no other connection.
The officials said the deaths were not caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS), which this year killed hundreds of people worldwide.
Director General of Health Dr Karen Poutasi said hospitals nationwide were being notified of the mystery deaths, and were being asked to investigate any recent unexplained deaths.
Dr Poutasi said the Health Ministry was putting surveillance measures into place throughout the country.
She said one unexplained death could occur at any time, 2 in close proximity was unusual, and 3 was even more unusual.
"This is still a very low number of cases, but the ministry wants to know whether there are any more cases elsewhere in the country, and we have asked all district health boards to be on alert, and the boards have asked their general practitioners to be on alert. We will be monitoring the situation very very closely."
Dr Holmes said all 3 patients came from a small geographical area in Dunedin. All were previously well, but suddenly fell ill and died within hours.
All the cases, of 2 women and one man, had been reported to the coroner, but the preliminary cause of death was pulmonary haemorrhage.
"We felt because this is an extremely unusual situation we would like to draw health professionals to the attention for the need to deal with good infection control when dealing with any patient who presents with a sudden and unexpected collapse."
One of the victims died at home. Soon after, a woman collapsed after visiting her GP. She was resuscitated and taken to hospital, but died.
A pathologist conducting a post-mortem on the woman noted the similarity between the deaths.
"When we had another case over the weekend, the same sort of thing, we thought this might not be chance...we would really like to know (what it is) and we are considering all possibilities," infectious diseases expert Dr Tim Blackmore said.
The list of possible causes of death was "as long as your arm" Dr Blackmore said.
However, many of them normally had a longer timeframe and "2 people almost literally dropped dead," Dr Holmes said.
Health authorities would not identify the people who had died.
Dr Holmes said that in 2 cases the victims had died within an hour of collapsing.
He said that as far as it was known, none of the victims had left the South Island in the past 6 months.
Dr Blackmore stressed the deaths "did not fit the picture of SARS".
Coughs and colds were "absolutely routine" at this time of year and should not be over-called, but people who felt they were getting worse should seek medical attention, authorities said.
Family of the dead people had been told if they felt unwell they should go to Dunedin Hospital. Health workers who had been in contact with the dead people were also being monitored.
Tests to narrow down the causes of death of death were continuing, a Dunedin Hospital spokesman said.
"Preliminary results have been negative, but there's quite a few that are still in progress. When we cast the net wide for a range of viruses and bacteria we have them incubating for several weeks before we would call them negative.
"For routine diagnosis, when we know exactly what we're looking for, we know the timelines better, but it's been up to several days with some of these cases where it's still negative results. The longer time goes on, the longer time goes on the harder it is to sustain a positive diagnosis for infection."
--
ProMED-mail
[The occurrence of 3 deaths associated with sudden pulmonary hemorrhage in relatively young individuals in a short period of time is of concern. As mentioned in the newswire, the differential diagnosis is fairly extensive including both infectious and non-infectious etiologies. Of note, in 1995, there was an unexplained outbreak of febrile illness associated with acute pulmonary hemorrhage and some deaths in Nicaragua that was found to be due to leptospirosis (). As leptospirosis is endemic in New Zealand, it is in the long list of differentials.
As the newswire article points out, the clinical features of the cases do not resemble those seen with severe acute respiratory syndrome. This appears to be an illness with a rapid onset of pulmonary hemorrhage and death, without a prodromal febrile illness associated with cough and progressive hypoxia.
We await further information, preferably from authoritative sources in New Zealand, on the results of the investigation of this cluster of deaths associated with pulmonary hemorrhage. - Mod.MPP]
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