Rugged Elegance, LLC: SARS In The News

Isolation, an Old Medical Tool, Has SARS Fading

Sat, 21 Jun 2003 20:26:41 GMT

Isolation, an Old Medical Tool, Has SARS Fading

Three months ago, SARS appeared poised to sweep the world, a mysterious new disease racing out of southern China for which there was no vaccine, cure or diagnostic test.

Today, SARS is disappearing almost as fast, and almost as unpredictably, as it arrived. This week, the World Health Organization declared it under control, with only a handful of cases worldwide in the last week.

The agency's only remaining advisory against travel — to Beijing — is expected to be lifted in a few days. Hong Kong, the city with more cases and deaths relative to its population than anywhere else, has had no new cases since June 2.

SARS 'Stopped Dead In Its Tracks

Wed, 18 Jun 2003 05:38:50 GMT

SARS 'Stopped Dead In Its Tracks'

CNN.com:

The World Health Organization says the worst is over in the fight against SARS less than three months after a global alert triggered an unprecedented worldwide response.

The pneumonia-like disease that spanned China to Canada has killed about 800 people and infected more than 8,000, sending authorities scurrying to contain it through centuries-old measures of isolation, quarantine and travel restrictions.

WHO: Stay on the lookout

Tue, 17 Jun 2003 04:15:07 GMT

WHO: Stay On The Lookout

The Star (Malaysia):

The World Health Organisation (WHO) has strongly advised countries to strengthen their surveillance efforts even though the SARS situation worldwide appears to be improving, as there is still a lack of information on the deadly virus.

WHO Medical Officer for Global Alert and Response Dr. Mark Salter said WHO was confident the measures taken by the international community to control the disease were effective, as the organisation had seen a significant decrease in cases around the world.

"But now is not the time to relax with it (SARS) tapering off, but to strengthen and redouble efforts to ensure we detect every case."

Canadian researchers make significant breakthrough in SARS reseach

Mon, 16 Jun 2003 21:18:02 GMT

Canadian Researchers Make Significant Breakthrough In SARS Reseach

CTV Newsnet:

Researchers from Alberta's Suffield military base are celebrating a major breakthrough in the struggle to crack the SARS virus -- they have become the first ever to snag fragments of the deadly disease from the air.

While the findings don't resolve the question of whether severe acute respiratory syndrome can be spread through airborne infection, experts say they do show the virus can be in the air.

Animal-to-human infections on rise?

Mon, 16 Jun 2003 05:30:03 GMT

Animal-to-Human Infections On Rise?

MSNBC:

It happens again and again. Strange and frightening new infections seem to appear out of nowhere, such as Lyme disease, Ebola and, of course, AIDS. With monkeypox coming on the heels of SARS, which emerged not long after West Nile, it's a phenomenon that seems to be happening at an accelerating rate.

...

"There are probably hundreds, if not thousands -- maybe even millions of viruses out there," said Robert G. Webster, a leading virologist at the St. Jude Children?s Research Hospital in Memphis. "We don't even know they're there until we disturb them. SARS is probably just a gentle breeze of what one of these big ones is going to do someday."

Frightening.

-Tim

WHO Expert: Proven SARS Cure Unlikely Soon

Sun, 15 Jun 2003 04:48:21 GMT

WHO Expert: Proven SARS Cure Unlikely Soon

ABCNEWS.com:

A cure for SARS is unlikely soon, a World Health Organization official said Saturday at a conference that failed to agree on how to treat the deadly virus.

Licorice May Help Against SARS

Sun, 15 Jun 2003 01:23:28 GMT

Discovery Health:

A major ingredient in licorice has proven remarkably successful at combatting the SARS virus in lab-dish tests, according to a German study reported on Saturday in the British weekly journal The Lancet.

Glycyrrhizin, a compound extracted from licorice roots which has been previously explored in anti-viral research, was highly effective at stopping the SARS virus from reproducing, the authors say.

CDC director calls West Nile, SARS "the new normal''

Sat, 14 Jun 2003 22:47:27 GMT

CDC Director Calls West Nile, SARS "The New Normal''

San Francisco Chronicle:

Emerging infectious diseases such as West Nile virus, SARS and monkeypox are "the new normal," the director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Friday, adding that the national public health system must change its approach to medicine to respond to this emerging threat.

Less Lethal Cousin of Smallpox Arrives in U.S.

Tue, 10 Jun 2003 00:05:47 GMT

Less Lethal Cousin of Smallpox Arrives in U.S.

New York Times:

Monkeypox, a viral disease related to smallpox but less infectious and less deadly, has been detected for the first time in the Americas, with at least 23 cases reported in three Midwestern states, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said yesterday.

Wisconsin reported 18 cases (15 suspected and 3 confirmed); Illinois reported four (one confirmed); and Indiana reported a single case. The patients ranged in age from 4 to 48 and became ill from May 15 to June 3. All had had direct or close contact with ill prairie dogs, which have become a fad in the exotic-pet market and which might have caught monkeypox from another species, possibly Gambian giant pouched rats; the rats are imported as pets from West or Central Africa, where the disease has long occurred. Monkeypox in Africa is carried mainly by squirrels but named after monkeys because it often kills them.

SARS Genome Update: Animal Origins?

Thu, 05 Jun 2003 20:40:36 GMT

BioSpace.com:

As health officials from Toronto to Taiwan struggle to contain SARS through measures like quarantines and the prohibition of spitting in public places, scientists are piecing together clues about the virus, its genome, and its origins....

No New SARS Deaths Reported for 1st Time in 2 Months

Thu, 05 Jun 2003 04:38:02 GMT

Washington Post:

No New SARS Deaths Reported for 1st Time in 2 Months

For the first time in more than two months, no new deaths were reported yesterday from SARS, the latest indication that the epidemic is subsiding, the World Health Organization said.

The cumulative number of SARS cases worldwide hit 8,402 yesterday, an increase of 10 from the day before. But the number of deaths from severe acute respiratory syndrome was unchanged -- at 772.

A "Superspreader" Of SARS

Wed, 04 Jun 2003 14:08:30 GMT

She had been running a 104-degree fever for nearly a week, and the city's best doctors were stumped. They suspected the 27-year-old businesswoman was suffering from a new flu rumored to have appeared in southern China, but knew nothing about how to treat it. So the patient and her family decided to go to Beijing. [BioSpace]

Toronto Triples Its SARS Tally To 33 Probable Victims

Wed, 04 Jun 2003 14:08:02 GMT

Health authorities said today that the number of people they considered infected by a second outbreak of SARS in Toronto had tripled in the last 24 hours, although some officials expressed optimism that the new cluster of cases had reached its peak. [BioSpace]

SARS Genome Seems Stable

Wed, 04 Jun 2003 14:07:08 GMT

The genome of the SARS virus has not mutated significantly as the virus has spread around the globe. [BioSpace]

Rare Day for China: No SARS Deaths

Mon, 02 Jun 2003 23:50:49 GMT

Rare Day for China: No SARS Deaths

Rapid City Journal:

Trade ministers of Asia-Pacific countries are set to endorse an emergency SARS recovery plan, while China reported no deaths for the first time in seven weeks.

The plan to revive Asia's tourism industry and other businesses comes as health officials from China to Hong Kong to Taiwan have expressed optimism the outbreaks may be ebbing.

[RE: Change]

Thu, 29 May 2003 23:02:32 GMT

SARS Makes Beijing Combat an Old but Unsanitary Habit SARS Makes Beijing Combat an Old but Unsanitary Habit

As Mr. Liu sped along the path at Bei Hai Park here, the rumbling in his throat became louder and more intense. A restaurant cleaner, Mr. Liu had a dollop of phlegm to dispose of, and was rushing around the lake to go out the park's west gate.

Thu, 29 May 2003 02:19:54 GMT

Two Suspected SARS Patients Quarantined in L.A. Forbes.com:

Two passengers aboard a Cathay Pacific Airlines flight that originated in Hong Kong were quarantined upon arriving in Los Angeles Sunday after exhibiting symptoms associated with the deadly SARS virus, health officials said Wednesday.

Tue, 27 May 2003 23:43:31 GMT

Strain of SARS Is Found in 3 Animal Species in Asia New York Times by Keith Bradsher with Lawrence K. Altman.

A virus virtually identical to the one thought to cause SARS has been found in a tree-dwelling animal whose meat is a delicacy in southern China and in two other species.

Fri, 23 May 2003 03:06:34 GMT

Experts: SARS Not Losing Power Over Time ABCNEWS.com:

Disease experts said Thursday the SARS virus appears to be just as hardy in its 15th victim as its first one.The virus' robust nature suggests it is well-adapted to reproducing inside the human body, meaning its ability to spread isn't weakening, health experts said.

Fri, 23 May 2003 02:41:04 GMT

Taiwan Reports 55 New SARS Cases Reuters:

Taiwan, battling the world's fastest-growing outbreak of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS), reported 55 new cases on Friday taking the total to 538.

Wed, 21 May 2003 17:16:06 GMT

SARS May Strike U.S. Next Flu Season

The SARS virus likely will reappear in the United States and Europe next flu season and cause some deaths, the U.S. health and human services secretary said Tuesday.

Source: [BioSpace]

Wed, 21 May 2003 17:15:14 GMT

Officials Warn SARS Outbreaks Could Erupt In Months Ahead.

As SARS retreats in many places, the World Health Organization and a top U.S. official are warning that new outbreaks could erupt during the months ahead and Taiwan says its epidemic has yet to peak.

Source: [BioSpace]

Wed, 21 May 2003 17:09:37 GMT

Superspreaders May Hold SARS Clue.

In the race to stop severe acute respiratory syndrome, a little-understood group known as "superspreaders" may hold important clues -- or they may be just a myth.

Source: [BioSpace]

Wed, 21 May 2003 17:08:54 GMT

Chinese, Alternative Medicine Screened For SARS

Government researchers say they are so keen to find a cure for SARS that they are looking at traditional Chinese remedies and even antibiotics that would not be expected to work against a virus.

Source: [BioSpace]

Wed, 21 May 2003 17:06:37 GMT

Doctors Fear Effects If SARS Hits Africa.

At a rickety table in a Lagos market, a man identifying himself as "Native Doctor Ndubuisi" displayed his wares: tree barks, dried roots, shriveled vines, fresh leaves and balls of clay.

Source: [BioSpace]