UN Warns of Worldwide Threat from Killer Pneumonia

reuters.com ^ | Sat March 15, 2003 11:21 AM ET | Richard Waddington

[KickRightRudder]

Just wait a few more days. It sounds like it might not be long before we have casualties in Atlanta. (if this is as contagious as believed 40%)

[Domestic Church]

One of the Canadian patients was in Atlanta prior to coming down with this.

[Domestic Church]

Two to seven days incubation on this...next week will be very interesting.

[Almondjoy]

Ever seen the 12 monkies?

[Domestic Church]

I wouldn't believe that 155 number.

[bvw]

A cover story, or coincidendal. They may have been about to activate into "Red Level" anyway as we open up against Iraq.

[bvw]

The French loved that movie. Not realistic.

[bvw]

How did you come by your "Almondjoy" alias?

[Florida_Freeper]

Religeous or Stephen King buff....take your pick.

Who's playing Randall Flagg??

[Dog Gone]

Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome

CDC Issues Health Alert About Atypical Pneumonia

Atlanta: In response to reports of increasing numbers of cases of an atypical pneumonia that the World Health Organization (WHO) has called Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS), the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) today announced several steps to alert US health authorities at local and state levels.

CDC activated its emergency operations center on Friday, March 14, upon learning of several cases reported in Canada among travelers recently returned from Southeast Asia and their family members. The federal public health agency:

• Issued a health alert to hospitals and clinicians on Saturday, March 15.
• Briefed state health officials on Saturday, March 15.
• Is investigating illness among travelers who may have passed through the United States after having potential exposure to the virus.
• Is preparing health alert cards to give to travelers returning from Southeast Asia.
• Is preparing guidance to assist public health departments, health care facilities and clinicians in monitoring and identifying potential cases.
• Deployed eight CDC scientists to assist the WHO in the global investigation.
• Is analyzing specimens to identify a cause for the illness.

CDC has been working with the World Health Organization (WHO) since late February to investigate and confirm outbreaks of this severe form of pneumonia in Viet Nam, Hong Kong, and parts of China. No cases have been identified to date in the United States.

"The emergence of two clusters of this illness on the North American continent indicates the potential for travelers who have been in the affected areas of Southeast Asia to have been exposed to this serious syndrome," said Dr. Julie L. Gerberding, CDC Director. "The World Health Organization has been leading a global effort, in which CDC is participating, to understand the cause of this illness and how to prevent its spread. We do know that it may progress rapidly and can be fatal. Therefore, we are instituting measures aimed at identifying potential cases among travelers returning to the United States and protecting the people with whom they may come into contact."

[ricpic]

This is beyond serious. It's........series!

[Maeve]

"It's worse than that. He's dead Jim."

[Maeve]

Randall Flagg??? ---->>>That might be John Kerry (D-Mass.)

But of course we all know it is HILLARY.

[Maeve]

Bump for your post.

[GRRRRR]

MSNBC Reporting on this at 3PM Central..they are VERY WORRIED about this! STORY HERE

[Maeve]

Seriously, I will say fervent prayers. We need to shut down the airlines now till we get a handle on it.

[Dog Gone]

From your link:

     “Until we can get a grip on it, I don’t see how it will slow down,” WHO spokesman Dick Thompson said in Geneva. “People are not responding to antibiotics or antivirals, it’s a highly contagious disease and it’s moving around by jet. It’s bad.”

[Almondjoy]

I know.. I just thought it applied to his comment. :)

[Aaron0617]

Man this is scary.

Better keep that duct tape and plastic sheeting handy.

I got mine. Oh..to those who whined about Tom Ridge and the guy who put plastic over his house.

Who's laughing now???!!!

[GalvestonGal.com]

http://my.webmd.com/content/article/61/67292.htm?lastselectedguid={5FE84E90-BC77-4056-A91C-9531713CA348}

Above is a link to WebMD. The travel alert caught my attention and I went to WebMD for some info. This article kicked out on my search.

excerpt from the article - ...."Plague is a severe febrile illness. Pneumonic plague, the most fatal form of the infection, can develop from inhalation of plague bacilli (primary pneumonic plague) or from hematogenous spread secondary to septicemic plague. Approximately 12% of cases of bubonic and primary septicemic plague develop into secondary pneumonic plague. Conversely, septicemic plague can be secondary to primary pneumonic plague.

The incubation period for pneumonic plague is typically 2 to 4 days (range, 1 to 6 days). Presenting symptoms typically include the acute onset of malaise, high fever, chills, headache, chest discomfort, dyspnea, and cough concomitant with or followed rapidly by clinical sepsis. Hemoptysis is a classic sign that should suggest plague in the appropriate clinical context, but sputum may be watery or purulent. Gastrointestinal symptoms may be prominent with pneumonic plague; these include nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, and abdominal pain. A cervical bubo is infrequently present.

The disease is rapidly progressive, with increasing dyspnea, stridor, and cyanosis. Rapidly progressive respiratory failure and sepsis within 2 to 4 days of onset of illness is typical of pneumonic plague. Abnormalities on chest x-ray are variable but frequently show bilateral patchy infiltrates or consolidation. The mortality for pneumonic plague is reported to be 57% and is extremely high when initiation of treatment is delayed beyond 24 hours after symptom onset...."

YIKES!!!!!!!!!!!!!