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Little
Rock - On April 2 the
Centers
for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported
100 suspect cases of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome
(SARS) nationwide. Arkansas has no reported suspect
cases to date but continues to monitor developments
and keep both physicians and hospitals updated.
As
of April 3, the World
Health Organization
(WHO) reported 2,270 cases of SARS and 79 associated
deaths worldwide; no deaths have been reported in the
U.S. The majority of cases are in Canada, China, Hong
Kong Special Administrative Region of China, Indonesia,
Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Viet Nam. According
to the CDC, the disease has occurred in persons or close
contacts of persons who have traveled to those areas.
A
travel
advisory was issued March 15 advising
that persons planning elective or nonessential travel
to those areas reporting SARS cases may wish to postpone
their trips until further notice.
Scientists
have detected a previously unrecognized coronavirus
as the leading suspect for SARS. However, other viruses
are still under investigation as potential causes. Coronaviruses
are a common cause of mild to moderate upper-respiratory
illness and can survive in the environment for as long
as three hours.
The
illness usually begins with a fever that is sometimes
associated with chills or other symptoms, including
headache, general feeling of discomfort, and body aches.
Some people also experience mild respiratory symptoms
at the outset.
The
CDC reported that the principal way SARS appears to
be spread is through droplet transmission; namely, when
someone sick with SARS coughs or sneezes droplets into
the air and someone else breathes them in. It is possible
that SARS can be transmitted more broadly through the
air or from objects that have become contaminated.
Information
to date suggests that people are most likely to be infectious
when they have symptoms, such as fever or cough. However,
it is not known how long before or after their symptoms
begin that patients with SARS might be able to transmit
the disease to others.
Twenty-eight
states have reported suspect SARS cases. A “suspect” case of SARS is a person who fits into one of the
following two categories:
- A
person who develops fever over 100.4 Fahrenheit, experiences
one or more respiratory symptoms (including cough,
shortness of breath or difficulty breathing) and has
traveled within the last 10 days to areas in Asia
or Canada where SARS cases are being reported; or
- A
person who has develops the same symptoms and has
had close contact with someone who has visited an
area in Asia or Canada where SARS cases are being
reported. Close contact includes having cared for,
having lived with or having had direct contact with
respiratory secretions and body fluids of those individuals
diagnosed with SARS.
Individuals
who have not traveled to those areas reporting SARS
cases within 10 days and who have not had close contact
with a case should not be suspected of having
SARS. People
who fit one of the two criteria should be suspected
of having SARS and should seek medical attention
immediately.
The
general public
can get more information through the CDC hotline at:
English
(888) 246-2675, Español (888) 246-2857, and TTY (866)
874-2646. The hotlines operated Monday through Friday
from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. and Saturday and Sunday from
9 a.m. to 7 p.m.
For
updated numbers on suspect SARS cases in the U.S., visit
the CDC website at http://www.cdc.gov/od/oc/media/sars.htm.
Additional information on SARS is available at www.cdc.gov
and www.who.int
and is being updated frequently as new information becomes
available.
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