<a href=iol.co.za>IOL SudAfrica April 01 2003 at 06:16AM By Patrick Leeman

A Durban man is in the isolation ward of Umhlanga Hospital with symptoms similar to those exhibited by people with the highly infectious Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS).

However, the regional general manager of Netcare, the group which owns and administers the hospital, said on Monday the attending specialist did not believe the patient was suffering from SARS.

The manager, Ian Goble, said the patient was responding well to conventional treatment.

It is understood that the man recently returned to Durban after a visit to the Far East, including Hong Kong, the epicentre of the outbreak of the virus.

A spokesperson for the eThekwini municipality's health department said on Monday that the department had asked for a blood sample from the patient in Umhlanga Hospital and would send it to the National Institute of Virology in Johannesburg for testing.

He said city health authorities were required to do this by law.

More than 1 323 cases of SARS have been reported from 13 countries on three continents since first appearing in Asia at the beginning of February.

There have been 49 deaths.

• This article was originally published on page 1 of The Mercury on 01 April 2003

MTV asian news Craig David April 1, 2003

Singapore -- Due to the current situation with SARS (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome), the record label and management have made the decision to discontinue singer/songwriter Craig David's Singapore trip for the taping of MTV Asia Sessions and to promote his new album Slicker Than Your Average.

It has been deemed prudent for Craig David to return to Asia at another time. All involved express their deepest regrets and thank Craig David's fans for their kind understanding. -- PC

More Singapore related news: Craig David Unable To Continue Asian Trip Santana Postpones Singapore Gig Moby Cancels Asian Tour Rolling Stones Cancel Hong Kong Tour Blue Postpones Gig Till Further Notice  

The Denver post Article Published: Tuesday, April 01, 2003 - 12:00:00 AM MST

It's some of the most troubling news Colorado has received in a long time: Three possible cases of a life-threatening disease that is sweeping the globe have apparently turned up in metro Denver.

Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome has been labeled a world health emergency and prompted warnings against unnecessary travel to parts of China or Vietnam. The three Colorado nurses with suspected SARS all had recently returned from China.

The rapidity and lethality with which SARS is spreading has alarmed medical professionals. There's no cause for public panic, but there is reason to be concerned and alert.

SARS is the first major new infection that can spread directly from person to person to appear in decades. Although SARS may be related to a well-known cold virus, experts still worry that people around the globe may have little or no immunity to it.

Although SARS was identified in Vietnam, it actually cropped up a little more than a month ago in China. In just a few weeks, SARS jetted into an astounding 13 nations, striking both developing and industrialized countries. Unlike some killer diseases, such as malaria, SARS strikes regardless of climate or region. There was no reason for SARS not to come to Colorado.

On Friday, there were 1,550 cases and 54 deaths worldwide. By Monday, there were 1,622 cases and 58 deaths. Officially, the United States reported 69 suspected cases as of Sunday, but that figure doesn't include Colorado's possible cases. At this writing, no Americans have died of SARS.

Ironically, technology helps SARS spread faster than it could have in an earlier era: New cases have been appearing along airline routes. That is, the disease is traveling quickly because its carriers - people - can be anywhere on the globe in less than 24 hours, taking the virus with them.

That's not unlike what happened in 1918-19, when the deadly Spanish Flu spread on trains and troop ships, eventually killing 40 million people worldwide, including 600,000 Americans.

Infectious-disease experts had feared SARS might be a new influenza - which it doesn't seem to be, thank goodness. Experts first thought it might be, though, because several lethal flu strains have erupted out of Asia in recent decades.

Unlike those viruses, which have struck almost anyone in the general public, SARS has been most devastating to doctors and nurses who have cared for SARS patients. It wasn't surprising that Colorado's first suspected cases appeared among medical people.

Sadly, the global death toll includes Dr. Carlo Urbani, the World Health Organization expert who identified SARS and first flagged it as a major world health threat. Without his extraordinary work, SARS would be an even worse menace. Urbani's death is a real loss to humanity because of his dedication and remarkable insight.

SARS seems to be a natural phenomenon. But if an accidental outbreak of a new disease can cause such suffering and confusion, think what might happen if terrorists deliberately spread an unknown, deadly virus or bacteria.

As awful as SARS is, it may give medical professionals a real-life test for containing any future epidemics of deadly contagions - including any let loose by terrorists intent on creating public panic.

<a href=www.japantoday.com>Japan Today Tuesday, April 1, 2003 at 14:00 JST

SYDNEY — Australia notified the World Health Organization (WHO) on Tuesday of its first suspected case of a deadly pneumonia that is sweeping the globe, Commonwealth Chief Medical Officer Richard Smallwood said.

Severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) is a mysterious illness first detected in Hanoi on Feb 26, which has claimed 58 lives and infected more than 1,600 people in 13 countries, according to the WHO.

The Australian man has been under investigation in New South Wales for some time, Smallwood said. There was no spread of SARS to any of his contacts.

"While the man had fully recovered, he fitted the WHO criteria for SARS and no other cause for his illness had been identified," he said in a statement.

The man returned to Australia on Feb 12 after spending two days in Singapore and was admitted to a Sydney hospital Feb 23 with a fever, cough, shortness of breath and difficulty breathing, Smallwood said. "He recovered after two weeks and was well when released from hospital. The classification of SARS was made retrospectively as the man had recovered before the health alert was released by the WHO on March 14."

Australian health authorities have investigated more than 30 suspected SARS cases in the past three weeks, but no other people were found to fit the WHO criteria, he said. "We still cannot be sure this person had SARS, but in the absence of other diagnosis, we thought it would be prudent to alert the WHO to this unusual case."

Australia has boosted its surveillance for SARS at its ports of entry and at public hospitals and doctors' surgeries, Smallwood said.

"I am convinced that our excellent public health infrastructure will quickly identify any potential case of SARS and the prompt implementation of infection control procedures will ensure that if a case does come into Australia, it will be isolated and contained," he said. (Kyodo News)

Japan Today Discussion

Benninton Banner Article Published: Tuesday, April 01, 2003 - 2:35:09 AM EST

BURLINGTON (AP) -- Two Chittenden County residents who recently traveled to China are suspected of having a mysterious flu-like disease that has killed about 60 people worldwide, state health officials said Monday.

Both have received medical care and are in good condition; neither person suspected of having severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) has been hospitalized.

State health officials said Monday the two suspected Vermont cases of the pneumonia-like disease are unrelated to each other.

"We are working closely with these individuals and their physicians," said Dr. Paul Jarris, state health commissioner. Health officials have advised them to remain at home for 10 days after their symptoms have cleared, he said.

Jarris also said he and other state health officials are in "constant touch" with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta to ensure all appropriate measures are being taken to control the spread of the disease.

"At this time, there are no definitive tests available to confirm SARS," Jarris said.

The United States and Canada have advised people to avoid travel to afflicted areas in Asia. More than 1,600 people have been infected worldwide.

As of March 30, the CDC reported 69 suspected cases of SARS under investigation in 26 states. No death in the United States had been reported.

The CDC has extended its travel advisory to include all of mainland China as well as Hanoi, Vietnam and Singapore.

"Anyone who has traveled to one of these areas since February 1, and who has a flu-like illness that includes fever and respiratory symptoms, should contact their primary care physician and seek medical advice," Jarris said.

U.S. health officials said Saturday that none of the antiviral drugs and other treatments they have tested is effective against SARS.