22 April 2003
U.S. Disease Center Issues Alert on Travel to Toronto
(More caution recommended for travel to areas of SARS outbreak) (470)
By Charlene Porter
Washington File Staff Writer
Washington -- The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
(CDC) April 22 issued an alert for anyone traveling to Toronto,
Canada, because of the occurrence there of numerous cases of severe
acute respiratory syndrome (SARS).
CDC Director Julie Gerberding said at a news briefing at CDC
headquarters in Atlanta, Georgia, that the alert is "no reason to stay
home," but she urged visitors to Toronto to avoid areas where they
could be exposed to the viral disease, such as hospitals and health
care settings.
The global accounting of SARS cases issued by the World Health
Organization April 22 showed 139 cases of the pneumonia-like illness
reported in Canada, with 13 deaths. In total, 3947 cases have been
reported in 25countries, with 228 deaths.
Gerberding said all of the Canadian cases have occurred in people who
have recently traveled to the epidemic's epicenter in Asia, or have
had close contact with an individual who has.
Health officials have the greatest concern about cases of the disease
in which the chain of transmission can not be traced from one patient
to the next. For instance, Hong Kong health authorities are trying to
determine how the virus, related to that which causes the common cold,
may have been passed among several score residents of the same
apartment building. One theory suggests that improper sewage disposal
may have allowed transmission through fecal matter.
CDC has issued a more rigorous travel warning for Hong Kong and other
Asian sites of the outbreak, advising that nonessential travel to
these areas be postponed.
The SARS death rate is also rising, Gerberding announced at the
Atlanta briefing. SARS was killing about 4 percent of the patients
infected in the first several weeks of the outbreak, but now
Gerberding said the death rate has risen to 5.9 percent.
Gerberding cautioned about over-interpreting what that statistic may
mean. "If you see the death rate go up, it's not necessarily because
it's getting worse," she said. The CDC director explained that the
percentage of deaths may climb as the tests to detect the virus become
more precise.
An unprecedented degree of collaboration among teams of health
researchers and experts resulted in a rapid identification of the
pathogen that causes SARS, but Gerberding was not able to report that
an effective treatment has been identified as a result of that
partnership. "We don't have any evidence that any specific treatment
is effective," she said, but tests are continuing on the effectiveness
of a variety of proven anti-viral medications.
CDC has issued general advice for travelers who are heading to areas
affected by the disease. It is available at
http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/sars/travel_advice.htm
(The Washington File is a product of the Office of International
Information Programs, U.S. Department of State. Web site:
http://usinfo.state.gov)
|
NEWSLETTER
|
|
Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list
|
|
|
