Singapore - 740 people quarantined, 14 new cases on Monday, Hospitals close, SARS spreads

AP ^ | 03-24-03 | D'arcy Doran

[Mother Abigail]

Posted on Mon, Mar. 24, 2003

Singapore Quarantines More Than 700

D'ARCY DORAN

Associated Press

SINGAPORE - Singapore's government on Monday ordered about 740 people who may have been exposed to victims of a mysterious flu-like illness to stay home for 10 days in a bid to contain the disease.

Health Minister Lim Hng Kiang said he was invoking the Infectious Diseases Act for what could be the first time since Singapore gained independence in 1965.

The city state of 4 million people has recorded 65 cases of severe acute respiratory syndrome, or SARS, including 14 new cases reported on Monday, Lim said. Twelve patients are in serious condition in an intensive care unit, he added.

"The number in ICU will increase, unfortunately, and there may be fatalities," Lim told reporters. "A stronger wall is now created to break the chain of infection," he said.

Any quarantined person caught outside their home could face a fine of up to $2,825 for a first infraction and $10,000 for a second offense, officials said.

Those on the quarantine list include people who may have had exposure to infected people, including children at a school and a daycare, which will be closed for the duration of the quarantine.

Entire households will be quarantined and the government plans to arrange to deliver groceries to them and compensate people who could suffer financial difficulties due to lost income, Lim said.

National Environment Agency officers will monitor the quarantined people daily, checking for symptoms of the disease, the health ministry said in a statement. SARS has made 386 people around the world ill and killed 11 people in the past three weeks, according to WHO figures. Experts suspect it is linked to an earlier outbreak of an unidentified disease in China, where officials say 305 people have fallen ill and five have died.

As part of efforts to further isolate patients, Singapore's Tan Tock Seng Hospital, which houses the Communicable Diseases Center, will now only admit patients suspected of having the disease, the minister said over the weekend. Other patients have been transferred to affiliated hospitals.

[CathyRyan]

Where did it come from?

Probably from China

Is just a mutated strain that developed as a result of stronger anti-biotics?

Probably not

Or is a animal disease that has crossed over to humans?

Probably

Werent cases reported in LA?

Were are six possible cases in CA

[Judith Anne]

Twelve MORE would bring the number of Canadian [suspected] cases way up...

[per loin]

China is still sticking to its story that the epidemic is over in Guangdong. I find that not easy to believe. Has anyone here a private source in that area?

[Judith Anne]

I agree, the Guangdong spread is not over. However, they may have ruled that such patients will not be seen or treated...I too hope for an update from the area...

[Mother Abigail]

Based on the detailed analysis of the 65 cases so far, the evidence is SARS is transmitted only when a patient develops the symptoms of the illness, the ministry said, pointing out the incubation period runs three-to-seven days, though it could be up to 10 days.

Epidemiological tracking of the outbreak shows Singapore's initial three cases resulted in 21 primary contacts developing probable SARS. This latter group of patients in turn has infected 41 more cases of probable SARS.

The health ministry has announced a set of new measures to help contain the spread of SARS.
It will be invoking the Infectious Diseases Act to isolate all contacts who have been exposed to infected SARS patients.

---

China is sticking to it's BS story and reports are all over the map about cases, two in Beijing for sure, others are just too uncertain to list. One way or another we must get into China and prove or disprove our fears...

[per loin]

This from Time:

Across the country, in cities as far-flung as Nanjing and Beijing, medical staff are whispering that a strange pneumonia is also popping up in their hospitals—contradicting China's claim that the disease is confined to Guangdong.

[Mother Abigail]

3 cases infect 21 people who infect 41 people

I do not like those numbers...

[Judith Anne]

Bad as they are, I am sadly sure that it is underreported.

[Mother Abigail]

This cannot be hidden, China does not have the advanced isolation and ICU equipment to keep this bug under wraps in rural areas.

[Mother Abigail]

Sad but true

[dljordan]

I think you are right. I've been watching the entire situation with great interest, the war, disease, corruption everywhere. Frightening.

[riri]

What scares me, MA, is the habit American's have of showing up to work even though they are ill. And working parent's very often send sick children to daycare.

Is anyone in the US taking any interest in this? I haven't seen a news report on SARS since the war began.

[per loin]

Yes. As this thing spreads, medical isolation will be replaced with police and military isolation techniques. We are beginning to see that in Singapore. Any word of India yet?

[AAABEST]

You're freaking me out Mother, with that name and all.

Can you add me to your ping list? I rarely ask to be added to a ping list, but this is worth watching.

Does anyone know how long it takes from first contact to develop symptoms? I'm curious about the incubation period.

[AAABEST]

N/M, you answered my question in the thread already. Keep up the good work.

[riri]

2 to 7 days, as far as they know thus far.

[Mother Abigail]

As of Friday, U.S. health officials were investigating 37 suspected cases of SARS in 18 states.

Meanwhile, a science writer from Johns Hopkins University is urging Americans not to panic as health officials work to determine the cause of the

[Mother Abigail]

I am concerned about this new 22 deaths number, can't seem to make it all add up

Could be a typo, or reporting is starting to lag behind the counting

Accurate numbers are our friends

[Mother Abigail]

Added

[Mother Abigail]

---

A CHRONOLOGICAL COMPILATION OF THE "SARS" OUTBREAK AS REPORTED ON FREE REPUBLIC

---

1. Precognition

2. Hong Kong Health Secretary calls for calm as SARS cases double, (83 up from 42 on Sunday)

3. LATEST SARS UPDATE - DETAILED MEDICAL INFORMATION

4. BREAKING BIG: POSSIBLE PATHOGEN DETECTED IN SARS CASE

5. Killer Virus (SARS) Identified

6. Seven victims of mystery pneumonia stayed on same floor of Hong Kong hotel

7. Guangdong doctor linked to SARS outbreak

8. President of the American Society of Microbiology on SARS - "Everything says it is airborne."

9. CDC increases SARS cases to 22 in U.S.

10. CHINA CONFIRMS CASES AND DEATHS (SARS) - HONG KONG SITUATION DETERIORATING - 22 CASES IN US

11. Causative agent of SARS virus isolated from lung tissue - test is reliably identifying cases

12. VIETNAM NEW SARS HOT ZONE, U.S. Warns Citizens in Vietnam To leave

13. SARS cases on the rise in Canada, may be spreading even further, 12 people showing symptoms