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Thursday, October 23, 2003The finding that each patient infected on average three others is consistent with a disease spread by direct contact with virus-laden droplets rather than with airborne particles,' WHO said, noting that in airborne diseases such as influenza or measles, one person can infect an entire room by coughing. ...The report said health workers accounted for 21 percent of all cases. In some cases, transmission occurred even though they were wearing masks, eye protection, gowns and gloves. The risk of a person transmitting the disease is greatest at around day 10 of the illness, when a maximum virus excretion from the respiratory tract occurs, then declines, the report said. On the other hand, research found no evidence that patients transmit the infection 10 days after fever has subsided. The report said children are rarely affected, with only two reported cases of transmission from children to adults and no reports of transmission from children to other children. No evidence has been found to show SARS transmission in schools, or in infants whose mothers were infected during pregnancy. That's good news. Understanding its transmission will obviously help us to better control its spread. And, as respiratory virus season is upon us, the CDC has a wealth of information on how to approach a suspected case of SARS, from advice for public health departments to diagnosis and treatment, to travel advice. Judging from the WHO report, it looks like the best prevention is careful handwashing. posted by Sydney on 10/23/2003 10:56:00 AM 0 comments 0 Comments: |
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