Deadly Pneumonia Extends Global

HONG KONG (Reuters) - A deadly strain of pneumonia is moving quickly around the globe as infected travelers from parts of Asia spread the disease, creating suspected cases in Britain, Germany, Australia and the United States.

The mysterious respiratory disease, known as severe acute respiratory syndrome and believed to have originated in China late last year, has killed nine people and made hundreds ill.

In crowded Hong Kong, the number of infections rose to 123 on Tuesday, up from 95 a day earlier, officials said. Most of the patients are hospital staff.

Of the total, 111 were suffering severe pneumonia, compared with 83 on Monday.

"In five days (from the onset of symptoms), some of those who are infected can deteriorate into severe pneumonia...requiring respirators," said Leung Ka-lau, head of the Public Doctors Association in Hong Kong.

The World Health Organization has said there seems little chance that it will become a world pandemic, but it has issued an advisory alerting travelers.

Health officials said that until scientists had a clear idea of what caused the disease, the possibility that it was a highly infectious influenza could not be ruled out.

Health officials in Australia said they were investigating their first 20 suspected cases.

Airports and airlines around the world have begun screening passengers and refusing entry to those displaying symptoms of the disease, which has killed five in mainland China, two in Canada and one each in Hong Kong and Vietnam.

The illness begins with a high fever, chills, cough and breathing difficulties and is apparently showing some resistance to conventional drugs.

COFFINS TO BE SEALED

The Philippines said on Tuesday it would require coffins carrying Filipinos killed by the pneumonia abroad to be sealed on return to the country to prevent any spread.

No Filipino is known to have died of the disease, although four working as nurses in Singapore are combating the illness.

In Hong Kong, some major companies have stocked up on surgical masks, and others are reported to be changing office air conditioning filters.

Some Hong Kong doctors treating the sick--many of them colleagues--have opted to live in hospital quarters rather than take the risk of exposing their families to the disease.

"Any slight cough, slight fever in the family is going to scare us all," said John Tam, a microbiology professor.

One tourism industry official estimated new tour-group bookings to Hong Kong had dropped between 80 and 90 percent over the last few days, amid growing fears of the disease. Tourism has been one of the few bright spots for the sputtering economy.

"It seems quite serious. It's a risk not worth taking," said Taiwan resident Cheng Mei-Chin, who canceled a trip to Shanghai via Hong Kong after her daughter raised objections.

Singapore's Ministry of Health said two more patients had been diagnosed with the highly contagious strain, bringing the number of people afflicted with the severe respiratory syndrome there to 23.

But in Vietnam, hospital officials said an outbreak that had killed a nurse and infected nearly 60 others there appeared to have been contained, though at least four patients remained in critical condition.

The Vietnam-France Hospital where the outbreak occurred several weeks ago appealed for volunteers, particularly nurses, to relieve exhausted staff.

"We need more staff on the medical side, for the cleaning, in the kitchens...the ones who are on the spot are extremely tired, physically and mentally tired because it's not always easy," Lucien Blanchard, general manager of the hospital, told Reuters.

China has reported 305 infections, and there are now more than 200 infected in other parts of the world. Experts believe the number will rise, but they say it is not yet clear whether all the cases are related.

Germany reported four new suspected cases on Monday, and the United States said it was watching 14 suspect cases, although officials doubted any were related to the outbreak. Britain also reported its first suspected cases.

Reference Source 89

For more information on how to prevent other diseases, use
PreventDisease.com's "Quick Prevention Resources".