CDC Experts Work To Pinpoint Mystery Pathogen
World Health Organization Reports Hundreds Of Cases
Updated: 3:10 p.m. EST March 18, 2003
Health officials have lowered their count of suspected U.S. cases of a mysterious flulike disease that has been blamed for several deaths elsewhere in the world.
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All About SARS
How SARS WorksThere are no reported U.S. deaths, and none of the suspected cases are believed to have severe acute respiratory syndrome, which the medical community is scrambling to identify.
The CDC said it simply wants to ensure it does not miss a case of the illness. Lab technicians at the CDC have been working around-the-clock for days to try to pinpoint the pathogen.
The World Health Organization reports 219 cases of SARS and four deaths -- most of which appeared over the last three weeks in Hong Kong, Vietnam and Singapore. However, China has reported a similar outbreak. If those reports are added in, there would be more than 500 cases and nine deaths.
The CDC official said that, in an outbreak investigation, it's not unusual for case counts to change as potential cases are added or dropped. He also said health experts are still trying to figure out exactly what causes SARS.
So far, almost all reported cases have occurred in health workers involved in the direct care of reported cases or in close contacts, such as family members, the WHO reported.
A doctor and his wife who were taken off a Singapore Airlines flight in Germany both have a highly infectious form of pneumonia, according to doctors at a Frankfurt clinic.
The 32-year-old doctor from Singapore, his 30-year-old pregnant wife and the woman's mother have all been quarantined since they arrived in Germany on Saturday.
The doctor, who had treated two patients suffering from SARS in Singapore, reportedly showed symptoms on the flight.
German physicians said the mother seems to be infected and the doctor is recovering, but his wife has come down with a severe fever and other symptoms.
Over the weekend, the CDC started handing out cards at U.S. airports receiving flights returning directly from Hong Kong, warning travelers returning to the United States from Southeast Asia that they may have been exposed to cases of SARS.
The travel cards warn those returning from the three areas that they should monitor their health for at least seven days. They are also advised to contact their physicians if they become ill with a fever accompanied by a cough or difficulty in breathing.
The cards are being handed out by quarantine officials at airports in Chicago, Los Angeles, New York City, San Francisco, and Newark, N.J. These are the only U.S. airports receiving direct flights from Hong Kong.
Report: Decisive Steps Needed To Counter Infectious Disease
A new report urges the United States to lead global efforts to detect and counter new infectious diseases.
The report, written by experts at the Nuclear Threat Initiative, urges governments to rebuild and maintain staff and facilities to detect and deal with new diseases. It says the CDC should upgrade its outbreak-tracking system.
The lead author of the report said the SARS outbreak shows the urgency. She said America should help reverse what she called "complacency in industrialized countries."
The Nuclear Threat Initiative is a private group working to prevent the spread of nuclear, biological and chemical weapons. The report is for the Institute of Medicine, which is a governmental advisory group.
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