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Thursday, April 10, 2003A "super-spreader" is a source case who has, for as yet unknown reasons, infected a large number of persons. Although transmission patterns of SARS remain incompletely understood, evidence suggests that such "super-spreaders" may have contributed to the evolution of SARS outbreaks around the world. And that the very sick are the most adept at spreading the disease: Until recently, all cases in Singapore have had good epidemiological links to their source. Further work is now required to establish similar links for the more recent cases. If confirmed, such linking of cases will show that transmission is limited to those who are symptomatic, and usually very ill. This hypothesis is supported by the observation that health workers continue to be the main group diagnosed with SARS. To date, investigation of the SARS outbreak in Singapore have revealed few signs of community spread beyond family members in close face-to-face contact with patients. However, these findings are based on limited data on exposures. Still not sure why the Hong Kong hotel and and apartment complex had such a dramatic spread. One theory is cockroaches: Hong Kong officials said yesterday they suspect cockroaches might have carried infected waste from sewage pipes into apartments in the huge housing complex, Amoy Gardens, that has recorded more than a quarter of the city's 928 infections. "The drainage may be the reason. It is possible that the cockroaches carried the virus into the homes," Leung Pak-yin, the Deputy Director of Health, told a radio program yesterday. Doesn't really fit in with the requires-close-contact-with-very-sick-people theory, does it? Meanwhile, in Canada, they're having trouble keeping people in quarantine. UPDATE: Dr. Jen Jen from Singapore details what it's like to work in a hospital with SARS cases. posted by Sydney on 4/10/2003 07:59:00 AM 0 comments 0 Comments: |
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