S.A.R.S.

this sounds like that mysterious rash a bunch of people were getting a while ago or during the anthrax scare or the west nile thing
 
It's really scary... my Dad just went to Toronto today on Buisiness...apparently a lot of people are wearing masks up there, too, but they don't know whether the masks help. And I've just found out that there have been some cases in New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island. I live in Nova Scotia, so I'm afraid it's going to come here next, it seems to be spreading so rapidly.
 
crazy spinster said:
i've heard that some schools have even cancelled classes because of it. that's pretty bad. :(
A couple schools near me have been closed completely, one of the principals got it.
 
I know that it is really scary for those of us living in the U.S.A., Canada and various other places around the world, but compared to China, there have been very few cases in the States.

In China, they've closed off an entire province because so many of them are sick.

Also, just a note: if you notice any symptoms so are supposed to contact your medical provider or hospital via phone or via some else that is no you! You don't want to spread anything around. Plus, look on the bright side, we have very advanced medications so if S.A.R.S. is caught early enough than it can be treated.

If you live in the U.S. you can listen to NPR (National Public Radio, on FM) for important discussions, information et cetera.
 
I heard that the person who discovered it died last week.
I think it's scarry.
Cause we don't really know how you can get it.
Is it already in the United States?
There are rumours that it is in my country now, i really hope not!
 
HONG KONG - Health officials announced a sharp rise Monday in cases of a deadly flu-like disease at a Hong Kong apartment complex and slapped a 10-day quarantine on one building while scrambling to contain the global spread of the illness.

The 92 new cases at Amoy Gardens apartments brought the total number infected in the 19-building complex to 213. The surge in cases led some health officials to fear severe acute respiratory syndrome, or SARS, could be more contagious than initially expected.

SARS has killed nearly 60 people worldwide, with the majority of cases in Hong Kong and China, and there is no known treatment. Three new deaths were reported Sunday, one each in Hong Kong, Toronto and Singapore. More than 1,600 people have been infected worldwide.

The illness has prompted officials in Asian countries to impose long-unused quarantine laws, close schools and impose new health screening on travelers. Canadian officials declared a health emergency.

In China, where the disease has killed at least 34 people, people rushed to buy surgical masks and herbal cold remedies as unease rose despite official control of information about the illness.

In Canada, another death was reported Sunday to bring the toll there to four. About 100 probable or suspect cases have been reported from the west coast city of Vancouver, British Columbia, to the east coast city of New Brunswick. Officials have closed two hospitals to new patients, and hundreds of people have been quarantined in their homes.
 
Mystery illness spreads
Researchers focusing on form of coronavirus
Friday, March 28, 2003 Posted: 4:24 PM EST (2124 GMT)

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VIDEO
Hong Kong residents are wearing face masks to avoid catching a severe new pneumonia that has infected hundreds and can kill. CNN's Andrew Brown reports. (March 27)

PLAY VIDEO 

RELATED
• Frequently Asked Questions: SARS

• Gallery: Mystery virus spreads

• Country breakdown: Suspected cases of SARS

• Special report: SARS: Mystery illness on the move


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• Centers for Disease Control 
• World Health Organization 

ATLANTA, Georgia (CNN) -- The mystery illness that was first identified in recent weeks in Asia appears to be continuing to spread, both in the United States and elsewhere, and researchers are continuing to close in on a previously unrecognized form of coronavirus as the cause, federal health authorities said Thursday.

In the United States, 51 suspected cases of severe acute respiratory syndrome have been identified, up from 45 Wednesday, said Dr. Jim Hughes, director of the National Center for Infectious Diseases at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Forty-four of the cases are associated with travel to areas of the world where transmission is known to be occurring, he said. Five others occurred among people who were in contact with the suspected cases and the two others were health workers who cared for the ill.

None of the suspected cases in the United States has been fatal.

Fourteen of the 51 had pneumonia, and only one needed to be put on a ventilator.

"We're seeing ... milder cases overall than people in Asia are encountering," Hughes said.

Excluding the U.S. cases, the World Health Organization is reporting 1,408 suspected cases, including 53 deaths, in 12 countries and 14 geographic areas. That translates into nearly a 4 percent mortality rate.

"We're encouraged that many of these patients with SARS are improving," Hughes told reporters. "In spite of that, we know that this is a very severe illness."

Evidence pointing to a previously unrecognized form of coronavirus continues to mount, he said.

"We're not prepared to say it's definitive evidence yet," he said. "Much work remains to be done, but the preponderance of the evidence is consistent with a previously unrecognized coronavirus playing an important role."

Coronavirus is a family of viruses that includes two known to infect humans. They are blamed for about a third of all common colds.

SARS patients have not responded to treatment with the usual anti-pneumonia drugs, such as antibiotics or antiviral agents. 

Hope this 2 articles helpe you guys to understand better what is SARS.
I read at local newspaper that there's a report that in Brazil might be another SARS case, it's about a british journalist woman of 42 years old that arrived at Brazil to be at the Grand Prix of Brazil, apparently she came from asiatic countries as Malaysia, Singapur, etc....
Asnd i see also in other newpaper reported that 4 people have died from it in Toronto, Canada, and a health emergency has been declared there. There have been 62 cases of it in the USA so far, with 3 possible cases in Colorado.

This disease is horrible and i can't belive so many people have dies from it already. I hope all members of this site stay safe from this disease, and are healthy in all aspects of life. I hope they find a cure soon, so more people will not die. :(
 
I have a good friend in hong kong, her school is closed but it is supposed to open after easter break. she always spends summers in the US (and goes to camp with me!), and she is supposed to be going to boarding school on the east coast next year to ensure that she will be able to get into college here. however, she's grounded in china until who know when. obviously, besides the direct and lethal consequences of SARS, so many people have their lives disrupted in other important ways as well.
 
Yeah, there was a confirmed case of it here in my city too. No one here is really too concerned about it except for down in China Town. I guess you can't find surgical masks anywhere down there.
 
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