First Known Case of Atypical Pneumonia in Europe Quarantined in Frankfurt (with 155 passengers)

AP ^ | 15 March 2003 | AP

[July 4th]

FRANKFURT, Germany (AP) - A doctor from Singapore believed infected with a mysterious form of pneumonia that hit parts of Asia was taken off an airplane from New York on Saturday and quarantined in a Frankfurt hospital, German health authorities said.

The doctor, believed to be the first person in Europe to be infected with the atypical virus, was flying to Singapore from New York, where he already began to suffer symptoms, Dr. Angela Wirtz, of the Hessen state health office said in a statement.

Fearful the virus may be spreading, the Geneva-based international health organization, WHO, issued an emergency travel advisory Saturday.

Outbreaks of the disease have been reported in southern China, Hong Kong and Singapore. Unconfirmed new cases have been reported in Vietnam and Taiwan, as well as two deaths in Canada.

Two people accompanying the doctor also were taken off the Singapore Airlines flight during a stopover in Frankfurt and admitted to the Wolfgang Goethe University Clinic in Frankfurt, the statement said.

Another 155 passengers who deplaned in Frankfurt were being temporarily held in quarantine at the airport, the statement said. The 85 passengers bound for Singapore, as well as the plane's 20 crew members, continued their journey and will be met by health officials upon their arrival.

[Domestic Church]

Given the timing I am assuming it is bio warefare. One wicked way to change the battle ...not to mention population control.

[Domestic Church]

Here's what I've read so far:

It was an American man living in Hanoi who traveled to southern China on business(where they have had mysterious respiratory problems) and then became sick upon returning to Hanoi where he was shipped out to HongKong and the surgeon who was attending this infectious disease patient(?!) then left for a pharmaceutical conference in NYC. And was hospitalized on route to Hanoi in Frankfurt Germany (gee, we have a military base there...how convenient to cross infect)

[Domestic Church]

This isn't RSV. They haven't been able to define it even as a virus yet.

[bonesmccoy]

How do you know it isn't RSV?
I have reviewed the reports and they have not done the serologies!

CDC needs to do a FAR better job at informing physicians across this nation.

We're looking here at the potential harbinger of a bioterror attack. This is exactly as we have been saying.

A flight has brought a pathogen to our shores and we can't figure out what is occuring because the G.D. "public health authorities" aren't reporting facts.

They're just reporting generalities.

They need to be publishing specifics on case presentation.

[white_wolf]

North Korea is next door to China. Haven't they threatened something about unleashing a "fire that consumes the earth?" Maybe they have a vaccine...

Hope the health authorities get this under control quick. If they don't, this story displaces Iraq by next weekend.

[ladysusan]

Have they been able to isolate RSV? Last I read, they "didn't know if it was a virus or a bacteria." Kind of hard to believe, and I mean the "WTF??!!!" variety of hard -to- believe. The reporting on this seems something less than informed.
OTOH.... RSV is nasty, but harder on infants/elderly than adults. Why so many caregivers getting sick?


LS

[Morrigan]

I saw something on the black plague on TV awhile back that was really interesting. Some scientists got interested in the reason why some people survived the plague, or never got infected, despite their close contact with the disease. They researched some direct descendants of the survivors of the black plague, and they discovered that these people had (and have still) a genetic mutation that makes them "immune" to the plague. This same mutation makes these same people have a natural resistance to AIDS--despite repeat exposure, they do not contract the virus. The people that did this research conclude that many Americans carry this mutation as well, since many Americans come from European stock. Apparently this mutation is not found in any other ethnic group. Weird, huh?

[null and void]

Weird, but true...

[crazykatz]

Fort Jackson in Columbia.

[homeschool mama]

Oh my goodness! What a terrible experience.

Swine flu shots first came out in 76, right? If so, I remember getting mine. Thankfully I didn't become ill...sounds like you were recipients of a bad batch. wow.

[crazykatz]

I have heard of others getting very ill as well. I think some folks may be more likely to get ill than others, for some odd reason. Allergy is a possible cause.

[bonesmccoy]

Ma'am,
The reason the health care workers are getting ill is concerning. It suggests that we have not been exposed to the germ previously. It may be an "emerging pathogen" like a new strain of influenza. Occasionally, a new influenza strain emerges from animal vectors (like birds) and infects humans. HIV is thought to have emerged from a Chimpanzee virus.

Cross-species transfer of virus means that a reservoir of potential infectious agents exists in animals. If that virus happens to accidently mutate to a form that can attack humans, you will see many people get ill (potential perish) in the first pandemic. When the virus circulates around the world (like the influenza pandemic of 1918), it creates immunity in survivors. Thus, the subsequent outbreaks are less likely to be as pathologic because many were previously exposed. Hence, these individuals can mount a stronger immune response (even if the virus slightly mutated during the interval between outbreaks).

RSV was just one thought. There are many viruses that can do this to a person. I'm just surprised that the CDC doesn't have more detailed information from the cases.

This same set of events occurred in October 2001 during the anthrax attacks. The CDC did not relay much clinical data about particular cases. Physicians across the nation need to be able to review all the case information on each patient.

Otherwise, we have no method to identify other patients with similar symptoms.

[Timesink]

Update: Experts Suspect Virus Is Cause of Asian Mystery Illness

[SASA]

I am interest in knowing more about the earkt 80s chinese bio-weapon. could you please send me the name of the virus during the early 80s.if possbile please forward me the name of the book or website. thanks...

[fella]

reread post #27, carefully.