Another article says they also quarantined a Wal Mart. Now they're saying it resembled "chicken pox".
Laurel hospital quarantined as precaution
Officials wanted to rule out smallpox
By ALAN MAIMON
amaimon@courier-journal.com
The Courier-Journal
Emergency officials quarantined part of a Laurel County hospital and a Wal-Mart distribution center for several hours last night after a truck driver was admitted with symptoms that resembled chickenpox.
Authorities acted because they wanted to rule out smallpox, said Joel Schrader, deputy director for information and intelligence at the Kentucky Department of Homeland Security.
The situation proved to pose no threat to public safety, said Brian Reams, Laurel County's emergency management director.
It was not clear last night how many workers the quarantine affected.
The truck driver, whose identity was not released, was traveling on Interstate 75 near London, in southeastern Kentucky, about 4:15p.m. when he reported to his company that he felt ill, said Stacy Floden, a spokeswoman for the Kentucky Division of Emergency Management.
The driver pulled off the road and was taken by ambulance to Marymount Medical Center about 5p.m.
Marymount decided to isolate its employees, patients and visitors. The quarantine was lifted about 10p.m. after it conferred with Dr. Rice Leach, the state's commissioner of public health.
A representative from the driver's company, Snyder Trucking, then took the truck to the Wal-Mart distribution center in London, Floden said.
The distribution center, the ambulance that took the trucker to the hospital and the area of the hospital where the driver was admitted all were quarantined as a precaution, Floden said.
Schrader said his department did not suspect terrorism.
The symptoms of chickenpox include a fever, a generally sick feeling and red skin blisters that itch.
Hopefully, it's chicken pox. Adults who contract chicken pox can become very sick, very quickly. But why would the trucker himself think he had small pox??
http://www.courier-journal.com/localnews/2003/07/07ky/met-front-pox0707-5808.html
My 6 yr old granddaughter went to ER the other day, doctor said she has Fifth's Dis-Ease, it could have been any number of things with her symptoms but he right off said Fifth's (her and my daughter who is due in July/Aug were tested today)
Parvovirus B19 infection during pregnancy may cause problems for the unborn child. Some fetuses may develop severe anemia if the mother is infected while pregnant - especially if the infection occurs during the first half of the pregnancy. In some cases, this anemia is so severe that the fetus doesn't survive. Fortunately, about half of all pregnant women are immune from having had a previous infection with parvovirus. Serious problems occur in less than 5% of women who become infected during pregnancy.
Note:
fifth disease produces a distinctive red rash on the face that makes the child appear to have a slapped cheek. The rash then spreads down the body and to the arms and legs. Fifth disease (also called erythema infectiosum) is a viral illness caused by parvovirus B19. Parvovirus B19 is a human virus - it is not the same parvovirus that veterinarians may be concerned about in pets, especially dogs, and it cannot be passed from humans to animals or vice versa.
Signs and Symptoms
Fifth disease begins with a low-grade fever, headache, and mild cold-like symptoms (a stuffy or runny nose). These symptoms pass, and the illness seems to be gone until a rash appears a few days later. The bright red rash typically begins on the face. Several days later, the rash spreads and red blotches (usually lighter in color) extend down to the trunk, arms, and legs. The rash usually spares the palms of the hands and soles of the feet. As the centers of the blotches begin to clear, the rash takes on a lacy net-like appearance. Children younger than 10 years of age are most likely to get the rash.
http://kidshealth.org/parent/infections/bacterial_viral/fifth.html
That is always the official word now, the statement that cannot ever be omitted from any article that just screams of trouble.