Replies

The problem with a sickness such as this, where the disease is contracted through mucus membranes, is that no matter where you are you are at risk.

My youngest sucks her thumb (2 years old). Imagine you go to the grocery store. You get a cart, and put your toddler in it. The kid sitting in the cart before her was contagious. Now your toddler is at risk of getting sick without you even knowing about it because she touched the cart where the sick child sneezed. She then put her hand in her mouth or rubbed her eyes.

Generally speaking, anyway, in regards to sick kids at daycare, you are contagious before you show symptoms so anyone at daycare would probably have already been exposed, not that I condone such things.

Attention Health/News Editors:

Public Health Commissioner Updates Ontarians On SARS

TORONTO, March 24 /CNW/ - Today Dr. Colin D'Cunha, Ontario's Commissioner of Public Health, informed Ontarians that one additional suspect case of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) has been identified in Toronto.

In addition, Public Health officials are monitoring one cluster of approximately 14 people who appear to be showing symptoms. The majority of these cases are being monitored at West Park Healthcare Centre, which has the expertise to treat respiratory disorders. West Park is following infection control procedures mandated by the World Health Organization and Health Canada.

"The cases we are monitoring now are the result of unprotected contact with initial cases before we were aware of SARS. Now, health care staff across the province are alert to the virus and are able to protect themselves and their patients to prevent further infection," said Dr. D'Cunha.

March 24, 2003

Contact: CDC Media Relations

CDC Lab Analysis Suggests New Coronavirus
May Cause SARS

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announced today that a previously unrecognized virus from the coronavirus family is the leading hypothesis for the cause of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS). Two coronaviruses that are known to infect humans cause one third of common colds and are also a common cause of health care-associated upper respiratory infections in premature infants.

"This is encouraging news from our laboratories at CDC," said Tommy G. Thompson, Secretary of Health and Humans Services. "These and other excellent scientists all over the world have been working around the clock for days and their hard work is paying off. They continue to look at other possible causes of SARS, but this is a key finding in our efforts to identify the cause of this global outbreak."

Additional steps needed to confirm this hypothesis include further culturing of the virus from appropriate specimens, sequencing the viral genome, and examining specimens from patients at different stages of their illness.

"This collaboration among scientists led by the World Health Organization (WHO) is unprecedented," said CDC Director Dr. Julie Gerberding. "We certainly have more work to do, but we think we are on the right track. And our systems to identify cases and investigate them are working too, thanks to all the frontline clinicians and state and local health departments around the country."

As of Monday, March 24, CDC is reporting 39 suspected SARS cases in 18 states. WHO is reporting 456 cases and 17 deaths.

The problem with a sickness such as this, where the disease is contracted through mucus membranes, is that no matter where you are you are at risk

Initially, it seemed it was not spreading so easily. Only people close to the victims and caretakers were getting infected. Again, I am confused as to just "how contagous" this thing is.