WHO Says Mystery Illness Cure Will Take Time
Hong Kong Reports Surge In SARS Cases
Updated: 12:38 p.m. EST March 31, 2003
Health experts say they may soon identify the mystery virus that has killed dozens of people around the world.
Overview
New Cases Scare You?
All About SARS
How SARS WorksSo far, antiviral drugs and other treatments haven't been effective against severe acute respiratory syndrome, said Dr. Julie Gerberding, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
"The global epidemic continues to expand," she said. "We are very concerned about the spread of this virus in parts of Asia. We recognize this as an epidemic that is evolving."
Gerberding said although health officials believe SARS is a new form of coronavirus -- the virus that causes about one-fifth of all colds -- remedies have not been successful.
CDC officials have issued more than 150,000 travel alerts about SARS to passengers returning back to 23 ports of entry in the United States.
Federal health officials have reported 62 suspected cases in the United States, but no deaths.
Meanwhile, there has been a dramatic rise in SARS cases in Hong Kong.
Health officials quarantined a high-rise apartment building with more than 100 new cases of SARS reported among the residents.
So far, more than 500 people in Hong Kong have contracted the disease -- 125 at the apartment complex.
The World Health Organization says the new flu has killed at least 58 people worldwide. Most cases are in Hong Kong and China. More than 1,600 total cases have been reported.
The illness has prompted officials in several Asian countries to impose quarantine laws, close schools and impose new health screening on travelers.
Singapore's health minister says the disease may spread more easily than first believed.
Australia's chief medical officer warned Monday that people traveling from nations hit by SARS may be barred from entering the country, the The Straits Times reported. The rule would also hold true for Australians returning to their homeland from an infected country, the official said.
Canadian officials declared a health emergency after another death was reported Sunday -- bringing the death toll in Canada to four.
Officials have closed at least two hospitals to new patients, and hundreds of Canadians have been quarantined in their homes.
Meanwhile, Colorado state health officials are investigating four possible cases of SARS, said Dr. Kenneth Gershman of the Colorado Department of Health and Environment
A Boulder Community Hospital spokeswoman confirmed that one patient is being tested for the flulike illness.
Copyright 2003 by NBC6.net. The Associated Press contributed to this report. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.