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medpundit |
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Wednesday, April 23, 2003Meng Chunying says she felt the beginnings of a nasty head cold on March 18. But Ms. Meng, an Air China flight attendant who often flew the Hong Kong-Beijing route, said she never made the connection with an outbreak of atypical pneumonia that she thought was under control. A few days later, Ms. Meng, feeling listless and feverish, flew to Hohhot, the wind-swept capital of the Chinese region of Inner Mongolia, to see her her family. Though the atypical pneumonia, called severe acute respiratory syndrome or SARS, first appeared in southern China in November, local doctors did not figure out that Ms. Meng, 27, was Inner Mongolia's first case until early April. By then, Ms. Meng had infected her mother, stepfather, brother and doctor, who gave it to another patient. Ms. Meng also passed SARS to Li Ling, her husband of three months, who became one of the first people in Inner Mongolia to die of SARS The rest of the article is one long, sad catalogue of how the Chinese government’s denial helped spread the disease throughout the country.Although, word has it that they've found a new health minister, which would explain this announcement: China has developed a cheap and easy test to diagnose SARS within an hour, the country's state-run media reported yesterday. The method, lauded as an "absolutely certain indicator," uses a modified protein to detect the presence of an antibody the body produces in response to SARS infection. In truth, a reliable test is still in the works: "What we don't know yet are all the signs and dynamics of the virus and whether the test is sensitive enough to pick up the virus all the time," said Parker, deputy health officer for the South Fraser Health Authority. The other worry is that severe acute respiratory syndrome may have an early stage when the virus isn't detected by the test. Parker said victims could suffer from fever and cough, then stabilize for a few days before coming down with a more severe respiratory illness, at which point they would test positive. ...The test, which analyses stool samples and nasal swabs, was also performed on two probable B.C. cases: A woman who contracted SARS in Hong Kong, and a nurse who seems to have gotten the virus while treating her. Both came back positive, Parker said. And at least one virologist has doubts about the guilty virus’s identity. Meanwhile, Canadians have had some trouble getting “healthcare workers” to obey the quarantine. Judging from the description: ...this individual was obnoxious, was threatening. He was belligerent. I’d be willing to bet the offender has a medical degree. And it’s beginning to affect the tourism industry: Air Canada, Sears Canada Inc. and Fairmont Hotels & Resorts Inc. are already saying the disease is hurting sales. Toronto tour bus operators are also facing troubles, with one coach company cancelling 52 trips and another losing a $77,000 contract when a convention was called off, according to a release issued yesterday by a trade association. As well, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) yesterday urged travellers to Canada to pack a first-aid kit to reduce any need to visit hospitals or clinics where they might be exposed to SARS. And the U.S.-based cruise line Crystal Cruises is refusing to let Toronto-area and many Asian residents board its ships because of fears they could spread SARS to other passengers. While in Hong Kong, doctors and nurses continue to be hit hardest by the infection: Hong Kong will shut the emergency unit at one of its major hospitals after dozens of medical staff contracted the SARS virus, health officials said on Wednesday. The outbreak at the Alice Ho Miu Ling Nethersole Hospital comes after scores of doctors and nurses fell ill in at least two other public hospitals in recent weeks, evidence that the territory is still far from being able to contain the epidemic. But don’t worry, the daily graphic is still reassuring. posted by Sydney on 4/23/2003 09:51:00 AM 0 comments 0 Comments: |
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