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Doctors in Hong Kong say they have discovered traces of the potentially deadly SARS virus in the stool and urine of patients discharged from the hospital after they were thought to have recovered from the virus. This news comes after other doctors revealed evidence of permanent lung scars in patients who had been infected with SARS. One doctor at a prominent Hong Kong hospital tells the Associated Press it is not clear whether the scarring resulted from SARS itself or the drug treatment being given to most patients, which is a combination of an anti-viral drug and steroids. The doctor...

ONG KONG, May 1 — Some SARS patients who appear to recover are actually late in suffering the worst effects of the disease, while many recovered patients may still have some of the live virus in their bodies when they are discharged from hospital, doctors said here today.Both phenomena could create problems in controlling the spread of SARS, severe acute respiratory syndrome, and underline how little is known about the later stages of the disease.Hong Kong's health director, Dr. Margaret Chan, said at a news conference today that "even after recovering, a recovered patient can still excrete a small load...

SOME patients in Hong Kong suffered relapses of SARS after being listed as recovered and discharged from hospitals, a health official has said. Health Department spokesman Jimmy Lee would not provide numbers or details of the relapses, but said the number had been small. In a telephone interview, Lee confirmed news reports that one patient had fallen ill again and was readmitted to a hospital last Thursday after being discharged three days earlier. However, University of Hong Kong microbiologist Malik Peiris said although relapses are "not a good thing", they were not surprising given how little was known about the...

May 1, 12:15 AM EDT Hong Kong Announces SARS Relapses By CHRISTOPHER BODEEN Associated Press Writer BEIJING (AP) -- Hong Kong said Wednesday that 12 SARS patients suffered relapses days after doctors declared them recovered, highlighting the uncertainty surrounding attempts to treat the disease. Six of the Hong Kong patients who suffered relapses had recovered and been discharged again, but six were still in hospitals, where all were listed in good condition on Wednesday, said Dr. Liu Shao-haei, senior executive manager of the Hospital Authority. Liu provided no other details of the relapses during a news conference. Earlier, a Hospital...

HONG KONG (Reuters) - Hong Kong doctors have discovered for the first time traces of the deadly SARS (news - web sites) virus in the stool and urine of patients thought to be free of the virus and discharged from hospital, officials said on Thursday. The news came after doctors in Hong Kong found evidence of permanent lung scarring and possible cases of relapses in patients who had been infected with Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome. "Recovered patients have the virus in their stools and urine," David Hui, a doctor treating SARS patients, told Reuters. Hong Kong's Director of Health told...

Comment On Breaking News in Hong Kong: SARS Patients May Suffer Relapses On May 1st the world learned for the first time learned that SARS patients may suffer relapses requiring hospitalization. This was reported by ABC.net.au in Australia this morning. At the same time, it was announced that 5 more SARS patients have died bringing the total number of deaths up to 162 in Hong Kong. Hong Kong's Director of Health, Dr Margaret Chan, was obliged to defend local policies and explained, in part, that it is not uncommon for patients with other diseases to suffer relapses. Fortunately, only 12...