Spread of virus

Before you get everyone running scared you should know that there is NOT a major outbreak happening here in Toronto or Canada. It has really been contained, and poses no real threat to travellers coming to Canada, nor are people leaving the country to 'spread the infection"!!

Health agencies, hospitals and airports have put appropriate precautions in place so that the spread is minimal. So far is has been contained with the Asian/Southeast Asian community and was spread by people coming back from Hong Kong, Vietnam, Guangdong.

This is anopther example of CNN and other media blowing something out of proportion so exponentially. Please do not scaremonger.

And your stats - four people have died here out of 129 SUSPECTED cases of SARS. That hardly counts as a MAJOR outbreak in a city of over four million people.

I believe a regular bout of Flu that makes it's way through any city has higher mortality rates.

I work in an office building with many people of Asian descent - those of us here do not feel the need to quarantine oursleves or wear masks.

HN is right. Let's not panick. The people in Toronto that have been affected are hospital employees that were in contact with a couple of people that brought it back from Hong Kong. Anyone that has visited the hospital in question have been quarantined. The hospital has been closed and no visitors are allowed in.

As a result of SARs...

I had planned a trip with my son to HK & Guangdong in June and now had to cancel because of all the hysteria surrounding this whole issue. Granted that there is a real health problem which seem to have originated from Asia, I don't think that calling it an epidemic is right on target.
Now I have parents who are freaking out at the thought of their grandson travelling to a disease/SARs infected area - never mind that everything could be contained by the time I am supposed to leave. Now I find myself at loose ends with my son for those 3 weeks. Maybe, we should just take off for the DR to join the get-together on the 19th! Now - how's that for scaring everyone!? 2 asians heading the way of the DR - Watch out! they could be SARs carriers! ARrrrrrgh!

Well said Helen.

Hope to see you the 19th...

HB

Originally posted by Helen Now - how's that for scaring everyone!? 2 asians heading the way of the DR - Watch out! they could be SARs carriers!

Click to expand...

As long as you and your son wear your face masks, Helen, there should be no problem for you in the DR.

Epidemic may not yet be the right word but I personally see no reason not to treat it as aggressively as possible, if only to prevent it from becoming a full blown epidemic. Once they have the virus causing the illness identified and a treatment available in sufficient quantities, then much of the anxiety surrounding the illness is going to abate.

As far as a trip to China is concerned, I think you were wise to cancel. Although Hong Kong seems to be aggressively attacking the disease, from all reports Mainland China is doing nothing. In fact the travel advisory that previously covered only Hong Kong and Guangdong Province has now been expanded to include all of Mainland China.

squat, if you are looking for accurate information especially regarding Toronto and SARS then try this link . i don't believe your concern to be scaremongering at all.

mob

Again this is a case of misinterpretation of the news resulting in overblown reactions from people who are a) most likely not living in the country where this is being reported and b) hear/see only certain sides from their local media.

Airport workers have "distributed bright pink "health alert notices" to people checking in for international flights from Toronto's Pearson Airport. The warning requests that people who MAY have been exposed to SARS delay their travel as a precaution." This does not mean that we are leaving the country and spreading this around worldwide.

There have been very few deaths due to this illness, and some of them being people who were vulnerable before they got SARS. And the mortality rate is quite low.

"The experience at Sunnybrook Hospital, where many SARS patients have been treated but no staff have fallen ill, shows "it is possible to prevent the transmission of this infection."

This from CBC News as well.

Officials said two women over 70 have died, bringing the number of deaths in Canada to six, all in Toronto. The vast majority of the approximately 130 cases across the country can be found in Toronto, although suspected cases are listed from Prince Edward Island to British Columbia.

Dr. John Conly the head of the University of Calgary's Department of Medicine, wonders if Toronto health professionals are overreacting to the threat by classifying too many as possible SARS cases without ruling out other causes, such as flu or even the common cold.

"It raises a question of whether that net may have been cast too broad and starts creating an aura of fear and frenzied and hysterical reaction amongst the public."

As far as the "inadequate supply of masks" is concerned-it is health care workers and some people who again MAY have had contact with someone infected that are using there. We are not in a frenzy here lining up for the next shipment.

Please stop the hystrionics about this in a public forum. This is not the black plague. Yes, it is a serious illlness, but as I said in a previous post-the flu kills more per annum.

I respect people's right to express an opinion, and agree that precautions should be taken WHERE NECESSARY, however spreading fear does nothing but increase anxiety levels.

I believe in being fully informed as well. Unfortunately media is biased, some info that should get out far enough does not and rumour mills churn....

I still say this has been blown way out of proportion. If we do not see it as a threat to our daily lives here in a large city like Toronto, where again, precautions are securely in place, all this does is scare people further into not travelling to places like Toronto, DR, etc. where they do not need to be as concerned.

If the info was originally disseminated in a less threatening nature perhaps this thread woul dhave been unecessary.

SARS Update

Subject: FW: SARS News Update

Some good news for a change.....


This just came off of the newswires:

"Breakthrough: HKU Professor SK Lam shows photo of atypical
pneumonia Coronavirus.

University of Hong Kong researchers have identified the virus that has caused the recent outbreak of atypical pneumonia. Known as a coronavirus, it is spread through droplets and
can also survive for up to a few hours outside the human body.

A diagnostic test for coronavirus will be ready tomorrow and it will
return results within eight hours. Doctors will be able to discharge
recovered patients knowing they no longer carry the virus.

The team behind the discovery is from the University's Department of Microbiology. Chief of Virology, Malik Peiris and department head Kwok-yung Yuen say now that they have identified the source, they no longer want to refer to the illness as "Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome". Instead, they call it Coronavirus Pneumonia.

Professor Peiris said the findings now allow for early diagnosis and prompt treatment, and also allow scientists to look at developing vaccines. "These tests will allow rapid results, rapid diagnosis and allow us to differentiate severe acute respiratory syndrome pneumonia or corona viral pneumonia from other causes of pneumonia so early treatment can be targeted to those with this particular infection," he said.

Professor Peiris said the best prevention method is to regularly wash your hands, particularly after touching communal objects such as hand railings, lift buttons, and door knobs and
handles.

"Even if you use a mask you can still get infected if the virus is on
your hands and you touch your eyes," he said, adding that people should not touch their nose, eyes or mouth without
washing their hands first.

The coronavirus is spread through droplets from sneezing and coughing. It can live outside the body for an hour or more. Infected people should wash their hands after coughing or sneezing.

Wiping hands with alcohol swabs can also help kill the virus.

The World Health Organization has congratulated the University on its findings. The Centers for Disease Control & Prevention has independently confirmed that coronavirus is the source.

Responding to a query from the press as to the likely origin of the
coronavirus, Professor Peiris said it probably originated in animals.
However, he added there are no signs that domestic pets are carriers and there is no cause for pet owners to worry."

Not conclusively linked to SARs...

More on the topic....

Meanwhile, a Hospital for Sick Children microbiologist is closer to developing a rapid test that could identify a new species of the coronavirus, one that infectious disease experts say is linked to SARS.

Dr. Raymond Tellier is studying a mysterious form of the coronavirus, a virus that causes common respiratory illnesses such as the common cold. This new species has never before been seen in humans, but doctors in Toronto have found traces of it in lung samples of sick Toronto patients.

Tellier, along with Low and a collection of Toronto infectious disease experts, have just authored a landmark medical paper in an online edition of the New England Journal of Medicine. The paper also outlines the cases of 10 SARS patients.

Samples from suspected SARS patients are being sent to Sick Kids from Mount Sinai and Sunnybrook in an attempt to find the new coronavirus. So far, most patients have traces of the virus in their system.

However, much more research will need to be done before this test is put into practical use, cautioned Tellier.

Simor said it is still too early to tell if this can be used as a diagnostic test, because doctors don't know for certain the coronavirus is actually the cause of the SARS infection. For instance, some of the lung samples also have traces of the human metapneumovirus.

Canada's federal microbiology lab and the CDC have also found this new species of virus

Re: some more...

With stuff like this, the wise man acts first,
discusses later. The DR, needs to take this VERY
seriously. [/B]

Click to expand...

Yes I agree, this is why the USA is in Iraq...However, should we not travel to the DR because of the high instance of AIDS etc?????????????????????? Yes there is a problem but let us be realistic!

Thank you Quality Guy.

Re: Re: some more...

QUALITYGUY1 said:

..However, should we not travel to the DR because of the high instance of AIDS

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this is just plain stupidity.

let's see-in order to expose oneself to AIDS/HIV you have to do a little more than simply sit in the same room as someone who is infected. do you laugh it off when it is suggested that a condom be worn? yet you sneer because some people choose to be cautious and concerned about SARS.

all this because one person thought the original post was threatening.

mob

Furthermore, to put this in proper perspective CLICK HERE

HOPE THIS HELPS ALLEVIATE SOME OF THE MEDIA-INDUCED PARANOIA AND SENSATIONALISM.

DAVE

No MOB It was not that it was 'threatening' but the tone was more paranoia raising than anything else. Media explodes these things out of proportion.

We do NOT have an out of control situation in Toronto. We are NOT a threat to the DR. We are not dropping dead in the streets.