China

By Larry Habegger | Permalink | No Comments | April 23rd, 2003 | Trackback

As the Chinese government acknowledges that the SARS outbreak was more extensive than originally reported, concerns are rising that the disease may become epidemic in rural China, where health care and medical facilities are substandard and inadequate to handle an infectious disease. In an effort to prevent the further spread of the disease, officials canceled the week-long May Day holidays, during which tens of millions of people were expected to fill trains, planes, buses and hotels throughout the country. Anyone suspected of being infected with SARS both in China and Hong Kong will be quarantined in special hospitals where visits may not be permitted. Medical evacuation of SARS patients is not possible.

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China

By Larry Habegger | Permalink | No Comments | April 15th, 2003 | Trackback

Travel advisories about SARS from the World Health Organization (WHO) and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have not changed materially in the past week, but new cases of the disease continue to be reported in China and elsewhere. In China, the disease has spread outside of Guangdong Province and Beijing to provinces where the medical system is less advanced, including Fujian, Inner Mongolia and Shanxi, suggesting that a wider spread may develop. First cases have been reported in Indonesia, the Philippines and Sweden. A total of 22 countries have now reported suspected SARS cases.

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China

By Larry Habegger | Permalink | No Comments | April 9th, 2003 | Trackback

Health Alert: Advice for travelers from the World Health Organization (WHO), the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the State Department has changed only slightly in the past week regarding Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) in Asia and other places. WHO’s position remains unchanged, advising that travelers “consider postponing all but essential travel” to Hong Kong and Guangdong Province. The CDC recommends travelers avoid nonessential travel to mainland China, Hong Kong, Singapore and Hanoi, Vietnam. The State Department sites the CDC advice in recommending avoiding nonessential travel to China and Hong Kong, and because of the uncertainties surrounding the disease has authorized the voluntary departure of non-emergency employees and all family members at the U.S. Embassy in Beijing and the Consulates General in Chengdu, Shanghai, Shenyang, Guangzhou and Hong Kong. The Embassy and consulates remain open and offer their full range of services.

WHO is concerned about new clusters of SARS in a Singapore hospital and in Vietnam, where they thought the disease had been stopped. Many countries are now screening arriving passengers on flights from Hong Kong, China and Singapore to prevent the spread of the disease. These countries include Bangladesh, India, Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Thailand. Canada has seen an increase in the number of cases but there have been no advisories recommending deferring travel there. All cases in Canada can be traced to hospitals, health care workers or family members of the sick. There have been no reports of the disease spreading to the general public, but new concerns have arisen about an elderly Ontario man who died from what were believed to be other causes, but now his family members are coming down with SARS. Officials are worried that they may have spread the disease to others attending the man’s funeral. The U.S. government added SARS to a list of infectious diseases and has established the right to put into quarantine anyone infected with SARS who doesn’t submit to quarantine voluntarily.

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China

By Larry Habegger | Permalink | No Comments | April 2nd, 2003 | Trackback

Health Alert: The outbreak of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) in Asia continues to intensify, causing the U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC) to advise those planning nonessential travel to mainland China, Hong Kong, Singapore and Hanoi, Vietnam that they “may wish to postpone their trips until further notice.” The World Health Organization (WHO) issued a similar advisory April 2 encouraging travelers to consider postponing all but essential travel to Hong Kong and Guangdong Province. WHO issued the advisory because about 20 cases in Hong Kong did not fit the typical pattern of transmission. The disease has been predominantly spread to health care workers or others who have come into close contact with infected persons, but in these Hong Kong cases the individuals did not appear to have been in such close contact. Travelers returning from places where the outbreak has occurred should be aware of the disease’s symptoms, which include a temperature of greater than 100.4 degrees Fahrenheit, and evidence of respiratory illness including cough, shortness of breath, difficulty in breathing, hypoxia (deficiency in the amount of oxygen reaching the tissues of the body), and X-rays indicating the presence of pneumonia. Cases have occurred in 15 countries around the world because travelers have flown internationally not knowing they were infected, but the highest concentrations have been in Guangdong Province of China, Hong Kong, Singapore, and Hanoi, Vietnam. The government of Ontario, Canada declared a health emergency in the province because of three deaths and the infection of more than 50 others. Two major hospitals have been closed or restricted as a precaution. For updates on this developing situation, visit the CDC and WHO web sites (www.cdc.gov and www.who.int).

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