The Sars thread

[The Red Guy]

Seeing that no one has started (Which I'm quite amazed, it'sa global thing now!), does any non-Asia country have it seriously? I've read a report the other day that the Sars thing is a prelude to an even bigger flu epidemic, sounds horrible.. :nervous: Plus our school is suspended, our home quarantined starts, which is terrible! Cooped up at home!

 

[Dean]

Toronto, Canada is on the aussies "dont go unless you need to" list

 

[Jan]

There is one confirmed case in Aus and a non-confirmed one in my state :nervous:

Last I heard, patients in Ontario hospitals weren't able to receive visitors because of the risk of spreading the disease.

 

[conkermaniac]

IMO, SARS is way overblown by the media. I personally think it's just a ploy for the media to focus less on the war. It's really not that horrific; rarely do viruses kill people -- it's the bacterial complications that result. And only 3 to 4% of people who have contracted the disease have died, and that's probably an overestimation (the Chinese government included cases where the patient did not actually have the SARS virus). Even so, the death rate is lower than that of standard pneumonia and even flu (during an epidemic). Many of those people were weak and were probably going to die even if they had a nasty cold. Epidemics happen all the time -- especially in tropical regions like Hong Kong and Singapore. If the media is so concerned with this virus, they should be equally as concerned with the severe medical problems in Africa.

Our school has been closed until Friday. As for me, I'm quarantined for being in the same class as the infected student. So I get to stay home Monday as well. :biggrin2:

 

[The Red Guy]

There's a hospital (Tan Tock Seng, TTC) designated as a treatment center, before Sars was identified everyone who visited the ward that had a Sars patient got it! Now we'v got 5 index cases, but thankfully the government is not underestimating the threat!

 

[Gayowulf]

one of the exchange students at my college has it.

maybe i'll get it and die

 

[foo2thabar]

There's been one confirmed case here in Georgia, but that's all. I don't even think it was here in Yuppie Ville, but in the northern region.

 

[velton]

here i get a forwards email :

Dear,
For your information.

SARS#-#-The Illness

What is Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS)?
SARS is a respiratory illness of unknown cause that has recently been reported in Asia, North America and Europe. For additional information, check the World Health Organization!/s (WHO) website at www.who.int/en or visit The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention!/s website at www.cdc.gov/ncidod/sars.

What are the symptoms and signs of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS)?
The illness begins generally with a fever greater than
100.4!cF [>38.0!cC]. The fever is sometimes associated with chills or other symptoms, including headache, malaise, and body aches. Some persons also experience mild respiratory symptoms at the outset.

After 3 to 7 days, the person may develop a dry, nonproductive cough that might be accompanied by or progress to the point where insufficient oxygen is getting to the blood. In 10%--20% of cases, patients will require mechanical ventilation. For more information, see the MMWR dispatch at www.cdc.gov/mmwr/mmwr_dispatch.html

What is causing SARS? Is it something new?
The cause of SARS is not known at this time.
Researchers at CDC and around the world are exploring every possibility to find the cause of SARS. At this early stage of the investigation, it seems more likely that SARS is caused by an organism that we have less experience with rather than a commonly occurring, known organism.

Recent reports from Germany and Hong Kong suggest that the cause of SARS may be a paramyxovirus. What kind of virus is this? Is it the cause of SARS?
Paramyxovirus is a family of viruses that include many common, well-known viruses such as viruses that cause respiratory infections and childhood illnesses including mumps, measles and croup. The Paramyxovirus family also includes more rare and recently recognized viruses such as Hendra virus and Nipah virus that caused an outbreak of severe disease in Malaysia a few years ago.

When nose and throat swab specimens from a small number of SARS patients were examined under an electron microscope, researchers in Germany and Hong Kong reported seeing a particle that looked like a paramyxovirus. These are preliminary findings and at this time, it's not certain that a paramyxovirus is the cause of SARS. Some of the paramyxoviruses that cause respiratory infections are widespread, especially during the winter season, so it is not unexpected to see them in an upper respiratory specimen

What medical treatment is recommended for patients with SARS?
Because the cause of SARS has not yet been determined, no specific treatment recommendations can be made at this time. CDC currently recommends that patients with SARS receive the same treatment that would be used for any patient with serious community acquired atypical pneumonia of unknown cause. Reported treatment regimens have included antibiotics to presumptively treat known bacterial agents of atypical pneumonia.
Therapy also has included antiviral agents such as oseltamivir or ribavirin. Steroids have also been administered orally or intravenously to patients in combination with ribavirin and other antimicrobials.
For more information on SARS visit http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/sars/ and see "Interim Information and Recommendations for Health Care Providers."

If I were exposed to Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS), how long would it take for me to become sick?
The incubation period for SARS is typically 2--7 days; however, isolated reports have suggested an incubation period as long as 10 days. The illness begins generally with a fever (>100.4!cF [>38.0!cC]) (see signs and symptoms, above).

How many cases of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) have been reported so far?
Visit www.who.int/en for daily updates on case reports.

Are there any reports of people having contracted SARS in the US?
Visit www.who.int/en for daily updates on case reports.

How many people have died from SARS?
Visit www.who.int/en for a daily update of SARS cases and deaths.

How does the disease (SARS) spread?
It is difficult this early in the investigation to say exactly how SARS spreads. Close contacts of cases, including health care workers and family members, have developed similar illnesses. Examples of close contact include having cared for, lived with, or had direct contact with respiratory secretions and body fluids of people with SARS

Can SARS be transmitted in schools or other public settings?
Available data indicate that transmission seems to require direct or close contact. Cases have occurred among health care workers caring for ill patients and close family contacts.

Can SARS be transmitted through contact with an inanimate object?
It is difficult this early in the investigation to say exactly how SARS spreads. What has been seen so far is a pattern of transmission related to direct close contact with a person with SARS. In areas where person-to-person transmission has been documented, cases have occurred almost exclusively in health care workers or in persons in very close contact with patients, such as family members. In a small number of cases, the route of transmission has not yet been fully determined, but there is no clear evidence to date of transmission following casual contact or contact with inanimate objects.

Is SARS an outbreak of the Avian flu?
There is no evidence at this time that the current cases of SARS are related to Avian flu.

Who is most at risk of contracting SARS?
At this time, cases appear to primarily involve health care workers caring for patients with SARS and close family contacts.

What is known about the 7 cases of SARS that stayed in the same hotel in Hong Kong?
On March 19, 2003, the Hong Kong Health Department reported that at least 7 of the initial patients stayed or visited a hotel in Kowloon during the month of February. The significance of this finding is being explored.

CDC Activities

What is CDC doing to combat this health threat?
CDC has activated its Emergency Operations Center (EOC); deployed CDC scientists to assist the World Health Organization (WHO) in the global investigation; is distributing health alert notices to travelers who may have been exposed to cases of SARS; is assisting state and local health departments in investigating possible cases of SARS in the United States; and is analyzing laboratory specimens to identify a cause for SARS. As always, CDC is committed to communicating regularly and effectively with public health professionals, elected leaders, clinicians and the general public.


Continue next due too long

<edited to remove white space that made it appear longer>

 

[velton]

Continue

Travel and Quarantine

Which travelers are being given health alerts?
Travelers returning from Hong Kong, Guangdong Province, People!/s Republic of China and Hanoi, Vietnam are being given printed information (health alert notices) that they may have been exposed to cases of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS).
Travelers are advised to monitor their health for at least seven days, to contact their physicians if they become ill with a fever accompanied by a cough or difficulty in breathing, and to inform their physician of their recent travel.

What does a quarantine inspector do?
Quarantine inspectors serve as important guardians of health at borders and ports of entry into the United States. They routinely respond to illness in arriving passengers and ensure that the appropriate medical action is taken.

What are CDC!/s quarantine officials doing to prevent and control the spread of SARS?
During the ongoing investigation into SARS, CDC's quarantine inspectors play an important role.
Inspectors or their designees provide information to returning air travelers arriving-directly or indirectly-from Hong Kong, Guangdong Province, People's Republic of China, and Hanoi, Vietnam. This same information is being provided via the major shipping associations and the International Council of Cruise Lines (ICCL) to persons traveling on cargo ships and cruise ships.

Inspectors are handing out health alert notices to arriving air travelers alerting them of their possible exposure to SARS. The notices ask travelers to monitor their health for 7 days and see a doctor if they get a fever with a cough or difficulty breathing. Inspectors are also boarding airplanes to check travelers for any symptoms matching the case definition of SARS.

What is considered routine health inspections of airplanes or ships versus what is happening now?
Routine health inspections consist of working with airlines, cargo ships, and cruise ships to protect passengers and crew from certain infectious diseases.
Quarantine inspectors meet arriving aircraft and ships reporting ill passengers and/or crew (as defined in the foreign quarantine regulations) and assist them in getting appropriate medical treatment.

Who actually notifies quarantine officials of potential SARS cases? Is it the crew of the airplane or ship? The passengers?
It is the responsibility of the ship!/s master or the aircraft captain to notify the nearest quarantine official of ill passengers on a ship or airplane.

What is the risk to individuals who may have shared a plane or boat trip with a suspected SARS patient?
Available data indicate that transmission seems to require direct or close contact. Cases have occurred among health care workers caring for ill patients and close family contacts. CDC is taking locating information from travelers who are on flights with people suspected of having SARS. CDC, with the help of state and local health authorities, is attempting to follow up on these travelers for 7 days to make sure no one develops symptoms consistent with SARS. So far, no cases of SARS have been reported in these travelers.

CDC Recommendations

What should I do if I think I have SARS?
If you are ill with a fever of over 100.4 !cF [>38.0!cC] that is accompanied by a cough or difficulty breathing, or that progresses to a cough and/or difficulty breathing, you should consult a health care provider. To help your health care provider make a diagnosis, tell them about any recent travel to regions where cases of SARS have been reported and whether you were in contact with someone who had these symptoms.

What should I do if I have recently traveled to a country where cases of SARS have been reported?
You should monitor your own health for 7 to 10 days following your return. If you become ill with a fever of over 100.4 !cF [>38.0!cC] that is accompanied by a cough or difficulty breathing, or that progresses to a cough and/or difficulty breathing, you should consult a health care provider. To help your health care provider make a diagnosis, tell them about any recent travel to regions where cases of SARS have been reported and whether you were in contact with someone who had these symptoms.

What has CDC recommended to prevent transmission of SARS?
CDC has developed interim infection control recommendations for patients with suspected SARS in the health care and community setting. Visit www.cdc.gov/ncidod/sars and review CDC Interim Information and Recommendation for Health Care Providers and CDC Interim Guidance for State and Local Health Departments.

Are there any travel restrictions related to SARS?
At this time there are no travel restrictions in place that are directly related to SARS. However, a CDC travel advisory recommends individuals who are planning nonessential or elective travel to parts of China (Hong Kong, SAR, and Guangdong Province) and Hanoi, Vietnam may wish to postpone their trip until further notice. For additional information about travel advisories, check www.cdc.gov/travel, which will be updated as necessary.

Should potential SARS patients be isolated?
CDC has developed guidelines that address infection control precautions in the health care and community setting. These can be found at CDC!/s website at http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/sars/ and will be updated as new information about SARS becomes available.

How should a suspected SARS patient be transported to ensure infection control?
To minimize the potential of transmission outside the hospital, case patients should limit interactions outside the home until more is known about transmission of SARS. Placing a surgical mask on case patients in ambulatory health care settings, during transport, and during contact with others at home is recommended.

Other

Is there any reason to think SARS is or is not related to terrorism?
Information currently available about SARS indicates that people who appear to be most at risk are either health care workers taking care of sick people or family members or household contacts of those who are infected with SARS. That pattern of transmission is what would typically be expected in a contagious respiratory or flu-like illness.

 

[The Red Guy]

Thailand is now ordering all Singapore travellers to done a face mask... *weird image* And some locals here are calling the 3 first index cases (women) "sluts who brought chemical bombs". Call that a peaceful society.

 

[Webdude]

Well Conk,

Since you have been exposed to it, I'm going to have to ban you from here so it cant be spread to the other members

 

[conkermaniac]

Originally posted by Webdude
Well Conk,

Since you have been exposed to it, I'm going to have to ban you from here so it cant be spread to the other members

Too late.

 

[allanh]

Originally posted by conkermaniac


Plus, the disease isn't that serious anyway. More people die from a flu outbreak.

don't say something that you don't know. SARS is a new strand of coronavirus that has no known treatment ( in flu, you have the Flu vaccine available each year to cover the major strands of flu).

And whilst flu kills mainly the elderly, children and the immunosuppressed people, SARS can kill a healthy young adult quite easily.

Furthermore, it has being known now that SARS is potentially even more contagious that the ordinary flu. The mortality rate is at least 5%.

It has being well-documented worldwide that the Chinese government has done everything to cover up the outbreak.
I have a Taiwanese businessman friend who worked in China. He has recently returned to Taiwan. Guess what, he has not even heard of the "SARS". Apparently, China has done well in not letting its people knowing anything about the deadly virus.

If you claim that SARS is not that serious, are you implying that all the medical authorities in the world are WRONG?

 

[Jan]

THE deadly SARS virus is to be declared a quarantinable disease tomorrow, giving authorities the power to detain anyone they suspect of carrying the disease.

The order _ to be signed by the Governor-General tomorrow – will mean health authorities can act if those infected refuse treatment.

"SARS is to be declared a quarantinable disease," Australia's chief medical officer Richard Smallwood told The Sunday Telegraph.

"That means Commonwealth authorities are able to hold people, quarantine people, while allowing others to go on their way," he said.

"It gives health authorities a stronger base to put the appropriate public health measures in place. If people should properly be isolated for a period then that happens."

The new crackdown comes after medical staff were placed at international airports yesterday and passengers advised what symptoms to look out for.

http://www.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,4057,6244695%5E2,00.html

 

[tandoc]

more people die from AIDS, Flu, and other things than sars.. a lot of reported cases have also recovered

if this was mentioned earlier i didn't notice, i didn't want to read those long posts :biggrin2:

 

[conkermaniac]

Originally posted by allanh
don't say something that you don't know. SARS is a new strand of coronavirus that has no known treatment ( in flu, you have the Flu vaccine available each year to cover the major strands of flu).

I think you shouldn't discuss SARS, as you clearly don't seem to be very well informed on SARS nor the flu. There are some treatments for SARS now -- there are no treatments for the flu. The virus is capable of morphing in a matter of weeks, and nobody would be stupid enough to develop a treatment that would only work for a couple of weeks. In any case, there are vaccines for the flu, but they are not very effective. In the only year that I got a flu shot, I contracted the flu. That's why I don't bother getting them anymore.

And whilst flu kills mainly the elderly, children and the immunosuppressed people, SARS can kill a healthy young adult quite easily.

Furthermore, it has being known now that SARS is potentially even more contagious that the ordinary flu. The mortality rate is at least 5%.

SARS primarily kills the sickly people. The mortality rate of SARS is actually around 3-4%, and medical experts around the world say that it really can't be more than 5%. A greater percentage of people die from plain pneumonia, which is a bacterium that can be treated with antibiotics. There are just as many people who have fully recovered from SARS as people who have died, and many others who are almost fully recovered. In Hong Kong, where almost an entire apartment block (around 200 something people) contracted SARS, nobody has died the last time I checked.

When you dismiss the flu as a harmless virus, you are thinking about the common strand that everyone gets from time to time. I'm talking about the flu epidemics that kill tens of millions of people in just a year. At the current rate, SARS is going to kill at most 300 people this year (although I seriously doubt that the figure is going to be more than 100).

You seriously have to be kidding me when you say that SARS is potentially more contagious than the flu...Someone from the WHO came on CNN yesterday saying that "fortunately the disease is not as contagious as the flu". It's been known for quite a while that the disease is not as serious as the media makes it out to be. What is your source?

It has being well-documented worldwide that the Chinese government has done everything to cover up the outbreak.
I have a Taiwanese businessman friend who worked in China. He has recently returned to Taiwan. Guess what, he has not even heard of the "SARS". Apparently, China has done well in not letting its people knowing anything about the deadly virus.

Well, maybe he's just plain ignorant about what's going on around him. There are less people restaurants and on the streets in Shanghai, where there has only been one confirmed case of SARS (actually, they thought one of my classmates got it, but that ended up being false). It's far more serious in Beijing, yet even people in Shanghai are scared to go out. The Chinese government has taken the blame for covering up the matter, but personally, I don't see how they were covering it up. They announced that there was a pneumonia outbreak in Guangdong a long time ago, and the Hong Kong government just wasn't paying attention.

<< EDIT: I realized I left an incomplete sentence in the first paragraph >>

 

[Jan]

Originally posted by conkermaniac
I think you shouldn't discuss SARS, as you clearly don't seem to be very well informed on SARS nor the flu. There are some treatments for SARS now --

Pray tell what they are? They don't even know the real cause yet :confused2 And have you forgotten that allanh is a medical student?

 

[conkermaniac]

Originally posted by Jan
Pray tell what they are? They don't even know the real cause yet :confused2 And have you forgotten that allanh is a medical student?

I don't know what they are, but everyone at school last week was telling me that there were treatments that supposedly work. And the scientists do know what causes SARS -- they don't know how it all started, but they do know that a virus causes the disease. I'm not quite sure what you mean Jan.

I didn't know that allanh a medical student? Well, then, that's more of a reason to be informed of the facts! My mom is a medical major, and my dad's distant cousin has been a doctor in both Taiwan and the US for 30 years -- neither of them see this virus as serious. I don't think being a medical student or having a medical degree gives anyone authority.

 

[Jan]

Okay maybe your mum can inform the medical fraternity world wide what is the true cause and treatment :classic2:

WHO deputy director Alan Hampson, said the disease could be like AIDS with treatments taking years to develop.

"It would take years to develop an anti-viral drug," he said. "The earliest you can expect a vaccine is in a small number of years."

The disease was entrenched in China and could spread to Africa or India with devastating consequences, he said.

However, Professor Smallwood said an anti-viral treatment in Hong Kong looks encouraging.

 

[conkermaniac]

Originally posted by Jan

WHO deputy director Alan Hampson, said the disease could be like AIDS with treatments taking years to develop.

"It would take years to develop an anti-viral drug," he said. "The earliest you can expect a vaccine is in a small number of years."

The disease was entrenched in China and could spread to Africa or India with devastating consequences, he said.

However, Professor Smallwood said an anti-viral treatment in Hong Kong looks encouraging.

Wow...this Hampson guy has no common sense. There is no disease like AIDS. No other disease has a 100% fatality rate - one cannot recover from AIDS because it directly attacks the immune system. Already people have recovered from SARS.

I only said that they know the cause, which is a virus, of course. I only heard that there was a working treatment from a variety of friends, and I have not bothered to do more research, but I am sure that there is no effective treatment for the flu, judging from its nature.