-Caveat Lector- http://abc.net.au/worldtoday/content/s807327.htm The World Health Organisation issuesglobal alert after outbreak of pneumonia in Hong Kong PRINT FRIENDLY EMAIL STORY
The World Today - Friday, 14 March , 2003 12:50:27 Reporter: Tanya Nolan JOHN HIGHFIELD: Well, the World Health Organisation says it's very concerned about severe pneumonia being reported in a Hong Kong hospital. It's issued a global alert after one man died and at least 16 hospital staff came down with symptoms. It's an a-typical pneumonia and the pathogen hasn't yet been identified. Tanya Nolan reports. TANYA NOLAN: The most recent outbreak of this mysterious respiratory syndrome can be traced back to a 50-year old American man who, after travelling through China, fell ill in Vietnam in late February. Soon after his admission to a hospital in Hanoi, 20 staff developed the flu-like symptoms. Some developed pneumonia and some remain critically ill. Now the ailment has spread to Hong Kong where the man was transferred. There are reports that as many as 32 staff from at least three different hospitals have developed the symptoms. One is in a serious condition. The American man has died. Dick Thompson is with the communicable diseases section at the World Health Organisation in Geneva. DICK THOMPSON: We're very worried about it. Until we can identify the cause and identify how to treat it, it's something that we're going to pay a lot of attention to. TANYA NOLAN: Samples of the pathogen being tested in Japan and the United States have so far revealed nothing about the cause of the outbreak. And Mr Thompson says that could be due to several factors DICK THOMPSON: It's possible that those samples were not in the best of shape. It's possible that when the samples were taken, that the individuals no longer had the pathogen in their blood, and it's also possible that this is something we haven’t seen before. TANYA NOLAN: Health authorities believe the most recent outbreak may be linked to the 305 cases of atypical pneumonia reported by Chinese authorities in Quandong province, in November last year. Five people died, and there have been more reports of similar cases in southern China in recent weeks. Alan Hampson is the deputy director of the WHO's Collaborative Centre for Influenza in Melbourne, and he says the highly contagious nature of pathogen means people should be alert ALAN HAMPSON: Appropriate care should be taken when nursing people who present with undiagnosed, atypical pneumonia of the type that has been seen with these patients. TANYA NOLAN: How do you rate the likelihood of this pathogen potentially travelling to Australia? ALAN HAMPSON: Well, we can never discount the possibility that, that things of this nature will travel to Australia. I think the likelihood is fairly low. I think that the probability is that this is an agent which does cause infections, pneumonic infections of this type. It may have changed a little bit to become more virulent, but until we get a definite diagnosis on it, it's very hard to be definite about these things. JOHN HIGHFIELD: Doctor Alan Hampson is deputy director of the World Health Organisation's Collaborative Centre for Influenza which is based in Melbourne. Tanya Nolan with him. Forwarded for your information. The text and intent of the article have to stand on their own merits. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. section 107, this material is distributed without charge or profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving this type of information for non-profit research and educational purposes only. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ "Do not believe in anything simply because you have heard it. Do not believe simply because it has been handed down for many genera- tions. Do not believe in anything simply because it is spoken and rumoured by many. Do not believe in anything simply because it is written in Holy Scriptures. Do not believe in anything merely on the authority of teachers, elders or wise men. 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