Colombia, Bogotá, domingo 6 de abril de 2003 ELTIEMPO.COM

Es el segundo territorio más afectado por la dolencia pulmonar después de China; su gobierno intenta mantener la calma entre sus más de seis millones de habitantes.

Hong Kong ya cerró sus escuelas y tomó una medida draconiana de aislamiento con respecto a un bloque de viviendas donde la epidemia se propagó a unas 200 personas. 

Algunos extranjeros residentes en el territorio empezaron a evacuar a sus familias ante el temor de que sus países de origen decidan prohibir la entrada de vuelos procedentes de Hong Kong. Entre los que optan por quedarse, muchos no se quitan la mascarilla y algunos llevan incluso guantes de látex.

La mayoría de los restaurantes del territorio, por lo general muy frecuentados, se encuentran, por estos días vacíos, al igual que los cines y otros lugares públicos, ya que una de las recomendaciones es evitar las aglomeraciones.

A pesar de las medidas establecidas por el Gobierno, son muchos los que consideran que las autoridades han tardado demasiado en reaccionar.

"Si hubiesen admitido desde un principio que desconocían por completo a lo que nos enfrentábamos, en lugar de asegurar que lo tenían todo bajo control, no se habrían producido tantos contagios", declaró el arquitecto británico Anthony Hackett, quien optó por permanecer en casa.

El hecho de que los casos se hayan propagado de forma tan rápida suscitó la sospecha de que la enfermedad pueda transmitirse por el aire y no sólo por contacto directo, como apuntaban las primeras investigaciones.

Algunas empresas adoptaron planes de contingencia que les permitan continuar con sus actividades en el caso de que se vean obligados a cerrar si se produce algún caso en sus oficinas.

"Hemos prohibido a cualquier empleado viajar a zonas afectadas y les urgimos a que no vengan a trabajar si tienen síntomas gripales a menos que muestren un certificado médico que garantice que no han contraído el Sars", señaló el directivo de una entidad financiera que prefirió no identificarse.

En Singapur, los equipos masculinos y femeninos de rugby fueron puestos en cuarentena al regresar de un torneo en Hong Kong. Uno de los principales bancos, el DBS Bank, suspendió todos los viajes de su personal para limitar los riesgos y ordenó a todos los empleados que regresaron de las zonas afectadas que permanecieran en sus hogares durante diez días. 

Cantón en China, el núcleo del problema

Fuentes vinculadas a la Organización Mundial de la Salud (OMS) dijeron que sospechaban que la cohabitación de animales de granja y habitantes en el sur de China había desencadenado la epidemia, que surgió en noviembre en la región de Cantón.

China no ha autorizado a la OMS a viajar a la provincia de Cantón, donde se inició la epidemia, y es acusada de mantener toda la información relativa al SRAS en secreto.

El ministerio chino de Salud Pública anunció el martes que no publicará un balance global del país, pero que pronto estarán disponibles las cifras a nivel provincial. 

No obstante, una portavoz no pudo dar una fecha para la publicación de esas cifras, mientras las oficinas de salud provinciales y los hospitales se niegan a dar información al respecto. 

Ante la actitud de China, la OMS manifestó su preocupación. "Durante una epidemia mundial, todos los participantes deben participar. Si uno de los principales participantes decide no hacerlo, eso puede ser muy problemático", destacó el Dr. James Maguire, un especialista de la OMS que se encuentra en Pekín.  Continúa el consejo de no viajar a zonas afectadas

Varios países, entre ellos Estados Unidos, recomendaron no viajar a las zonas afectadas, especialmente a China, Hong Kong y Singapur, donde en los últimos días las infecciones se han multiplicado, a pesar de las medidas de control. Las autoridades sanitarias francesas se unieron el lunes al consejo y advierten que es preferible postergar los viajes a las otras zonas afectadas por el síndrome respiratorio agudo severo (SRAS), que ya cobró 62 vidas. 

Indonesia, que afirma no haber sido afectada por esta epidemia, anunció haber tomado medidas de precaución. 

Malasia también sostiene que no ha registrado ningún caso de SRAS y desaconsejó los viajes a las regiones afectadas. 

En Filipinas, 23 personas fueron colocadas en observación y son atendidas después de presentar síntomas de neumonía atípica.

Hong Kong Con AFP y EFE

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution By M.A.J. McKENNA / Cox News Service

ATLANTA - Georgia reported its first case of severe acute respiratory syndrome on Monday, an elderly Atlanta woman who is recovering in a hospital, as governments in Asia took drastic action to limit spread of the fast-moving disease.

Health authorities in Hong Kong, where 610 people have been hospitalized and 15 have died, sealed residents inside an apartment complex where 213 people already have become sick. Officials said they will set up quarantine camps if cases continue to rise.

The World Health Organization said Monday 1,563 cases of SARS have been identified outside the United States, including 58 deaths. But those numbers were acknowledged to be incomplete: There have been no updates from mainland China, where the outbreak began and is believed to be spreading rapidly.

There were 72 cases of SARS in the United States, a jump of 10 since Saturday, according to the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta. There have been no U.S. deaths.

Georgia has been on alert since the outbreak began: A Canadian victim visited Atlanta in early March, but did not pass the disease to anyone here. On Monday, health authorities discovered the first Georgia case.

The Georgia Division of Public Health said the patient, whom they declined to identify by name, is an 83-year-old woman who lives in an Atlanta suburb. She recently traveled with a tour group that visited several locations in China, said Dr. Susan Lance-Parker, an epidemiologist. The woman began experiencing mild symptoms Wednesday, the day she returned, and was hospitalized Friday.

Despite her age, she did not become ill enough to need a respirator and is recovering, Lance-Parker said. A member of her household who also went on the tour became mildly ill, but was not sick enough to be considered a SARS case by the CDC. Another household member, who did not go on the trip, remained well.

The CDC is tracking down passengers on the flight and members of the tour, which was not operated by an Atlanta company. "We don't know of any other patients from that flight," Lance-Parker said.

The woman had no known contact with any SARS patients who have been identified, health officials said. Her case reinforces the likelihood that the disease can no longer be tracked on clear paths from patient to patient, but is spreading through communities in a pattern that could be impossible to trace.

Fear of community outbreaks prompted severe actions Monday in Asia and Canada.

In Hong Kong, authorities placed one block of the Amoy Gardens apartment complex under strict quarantine for 10 days, with orders that residents must disinfect their apartments before they will be allowed outside again.

The complex is a set of 11 33-story towers, designated A through K, that perch on a shared lobby. Each tower holds 240 families. At least 107 patients, of the 213 from the complex, have come from tower block E, which was sealed Monday.

The Hong Kong Health Department said it had identified the person who brought the disease to the apartments: a SARS patient who now is in a hospital but who had visited his brother in Block E three to four times.

"We have reason to believe ... that this is the source of infection. And the other residents in other blocks have been affected as a spillover from this infected block," Dr. Yeoh Eng-kiong, Hong Kong's health secretary, said.

WHO epidemiologists said they were concerned that cases in the tower were occurring vertically, with victims living in apartments directly above or below each other. That is in sharp contrast to the cluster of cases traced to Hong Kong's Metropole Hotel, where the disease spread horizontally: A doctor who had treated patients in mainland China apparently gave the disease to at least nine and possibly 14 guests sharing the same floor.

Both instances have increased concern that the virus can spread through the air, as well as through building systems such as ventilation ducts.

Amid fear that the Amoy Garden quarantine had been ordered after many residents had already fled the building, the Hong Kong government said it might consider isolating SARS patients in four campgrounds.

"With a large number of people infected, the unpredictability becomes larger, so we are planning for all different types of scenarios," Yeoh said.

In Canada, where visitors from Hong Kong brought the infection to Toronto, thousands of health care workers, hospital patients and their families are under quarantine. Authorities announced additional measures Monday: In Toronto, where officials have declared a health emergency, every hospital staff member has been ordered to wear gloves, gown, mask and protective eyewear.

Ontario, which has 81 of Canada's 98 suspected SARS patients, put severe restrictions on its hospitals. The province's Health Ministry has already closed two hospitals and has limited visitor traffic in three others.

On Monday, the Health Ministry broadened the restrictions to all hospitals, nursing homes, prisons and long-term care facilities in the Toronto metro area and suburbs. The order prevents people from entering facilities unless they are relatives of a critically ill patient or a sick child.

Ontario officials announced that at least two children, and possibly five, may have come down with SARS. They are hospitalized in Toronto's Hospital for Sick Children. The hospital has not been put under quarantine.

Hospital doors have been locked, with security guards or police posted in front of them. Visitors are interviewed before being allowed to pass. Once inside, visitors must don masks and dip their hands in disinfectant before being allowed onto the floors where patients are.

Because hundreds of health care workers are among the thousands under quarantine in Ontario, many nonemergency services -- including elective surgeries and outpatient care -- have been canceled.

Canada and the United States have asked residents not to travel to Hong Kong, mainland China, Singapore or Hanoi -- the epidemic's hot spots -- if it can be avoided. In the United States, the CDC is meeting any flights that originated in those areas or passed through them and handing out health alert cards to arriving passengers.

The cards list SARS symptoms and tell passengers to report to a doctor if they become sick within 10 days of arriving.

More than 160,000 cards have been handed out so far -- a sizable portion of them at Atlanta's Hartsfield International Airport, where the CDC maintains one of eight permanent stations that monitor the health of international travelers.

M.A.J. McKenna writes for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

The Age April 2 2003 By David Wroe, Amanda Dunn

A mother and her son wear masks on the street to protect against a deadly pneumonia virus in Hong Kong. Photo: AFP

Related links: Avoid travel to Hong Kong: WHO Australians warned as toll mounts More killer bugs to come: expert All the facts: SARS In-depth

Airline pilots entering Australia will have to declare sick passengers under a quarantine clampdown as the killer SARS virus spreads panic around the world.

As the death toll reached 62 and Australia's first confirmed case of the disease emerged, Commonwealth Chief Medical Officer Richard Smallwood announced the tough quarantine rules.

"We'll be making... pilots check with quarantine and get quarantine clearances," Professor Smallwood said.

"If someone is sick and arriving in Sydney, we do not turn them away. We care for them. (But) they would be isolated."

He said Australians should consider deferring non-essential travel to any of the 15 affected countries - Singapore, Hong Kong, Vietnam, China, Germany, Switzerland, Canada, Italy, Ireland, Romania, Thailand, Britain, the United States, Taiwan and France.

But suspending all travel to the worst affected countries would be "an over-reaction".

Under World Health Organisation advice, travellers who show symptoms while in an affected country may not be able to leave that country until they are well.

Authorities notified WHO on Monday of a British tourist who showed symptoms when he arrived in Australia in February after spending two days in Singapore. The man recovered and health authorities are satisfied he did not infect anyone in this country. He has since returned to Britain.

The NSW Health Department traced everyone the man had contacted, Professor Smallwood said. Given the incubation time of a week, anyone infected by the man would have shown symptoms by now, he said.

Doctors did not realise at the time that the man had SARS because it was a month before WHO issued its alert.

Professor Smallwood said three Australians were now being monitored for the illness - two in NSW and one in Canberra. In the past fortnight, there have been about 40 suspected cases. All have been given the all-clear.

A professor of virology at Melbourne University, Ian Gust, said the most likely way in which SARS was spread was through droplets transmitted through coughing or sneezing.

Deputy Chief Medical Officer John Mathews, said a few cases could not be explained by close contact.

Once it has infected the upper respiratory tract, the virus could move into the lungs and cause pneumonia. The body then sends white blood cells to combat the invader, while the lungs fill with liquid.

Professor Gust said that in cases where the patient died from the disease, the lungs became heavy and could not function on their own.

A spokesman for the Victorian Department of Human Services said major hospitals were prepared to deal with suspected or confirmed cases of the disease. Medical staff treating the person would wear full protective clothing, masks and gloves.

While several people have been investigated for SARS in Victoria, there have been no confirmed cases.

Meanwhile, a 14-year-old schoolboy sparked a wild rush on supermarkets in pneumonia-wary Hong Kong with a bogus news report that the port city had been declared an "infected area", police said today.

The message, which was posted on a website yesterday, said Hong Kong would be closed to the rest of the world due to the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) outbreak gripping the territory.

The false report came as the Hong Kong government was preparing to move some 200 residents of a quarantined housing estate to two holiday camps in an effort to stop the spread of SARS, which has so far claimed 16 lives and infected nearly 700 people in Hong Kong.

The panic buying only abated after the Hong Kong government dismissed the information, but not before fears of a Hong Kong-wide closure affected financial markets, with the Hang Seng index plunging about 100 points.

The student was arrested in his Tai Po home late yesterday on suspicion "of access to computer with dishonest intent," a police spokesman said.

He was released on bail of $HK1,000 ($A210), but must report back to police in three months, the spokesman said.

The unnamed student allegedly stole a page design from the website of the Chinese-language Ming Pao newspaper, copied it on his own web page and added a bogus news item that Hong Kong had been declared an "infected area," border checkpoints had been closed and people had been ordered to stay home. The report coincided with April Fool's Day.

• Agencies

RELATED LINKS

DFAT Travel Bulletins World Health Organisation

<a href=www.kxan.com>KXAN36 News 04/01/03 - 11:21 am

Hong Kong -- The Hong Kong government is moving 240 people who live in an apartment building to rural quarantine camps.

The building had been sealed off because of an outbreak of the mystery illness that's prompted a global health alert.

Authorities are moving the residents because they fear they can't stop the spread of the disease, known as severe acute respiratory syndrome.

The deputy director of health says environmental factors in the building may be causing the disease to spread -- though he did not say what these factors are.

Some have speculated a sewage leak was spreading the disease among residents of apartment units at one end of the building. Hong Kong reportedly now has nearly 700 cases of SARS.

Chinese authorities are urging doctors treating such patients to disinfect everything they touch and to wear multi-layer surgical masks.

The disease has killed more than 60 people worldwide and sickened hundreds of others.

ANSA IT

ROMA - In Italia la diffusione della Sindrome acuta respiratoria severa (Sars) e' ''un problema quasi irrilevante'', ha detto oggi il ministro della Salute, Girolamo Sirchia, a margine della presentazione delle iniziative antifumo sui treni regionali. Il ministro ha consigliato cautela ai viaggiatori diretti in aree a rischio, come quelle dell'Estremo Oriente, nelle quali cioe' e' provata la trasmissione locale della Sars. ''Se non c'e' l'assoluta necessita' di partire, e' meglio rimandare il viaggio, in attesa di vedere come di evolve l'epidemia nelle aree a rischio''. Sono due i casi sospetti in Italia. Lo ha confermato il ministro della Salute, Girolamo Sirchia: uno allo Spallanzani di Roma e l'altro al Sacco di Milano. ''I casi individuati finora - ha detto il ministro - sono sospetti per definizione finche' non sara' isolato l'agente responsabile. Soltanto allora ci sara' la certezza''. STEWARD SPALLANZANI RESTA IN ISOLAMENTO - Resta in isolamento, anche se attenuato rispetto a quello totale degli scorsi giorni, lo steward ricoverato all'istituto Spallanzani di Roma perche' presentava i sintomi della Sindrome acuta respiratoria severa. L'uomo, spiegano i medici, e' senza febbre e per questo hanno deciso di trasferirlo dal reparto di isolamento totale a quello di isolamento respiratorio e da contatto. ''Il paziente - sostengono i medici dell'istituto romano - sta meglio, e' senza febbre ma resta in costante osservazione''. Proseguono in laboratorio gli esami sui virus e batteri prelevati dallo steward per accertare se l'uomo sia stato colpito dalla polmonite atipica. Le condizioni del paziente, aggiunge l'Istituto nel bollettino sanitario della mattina, ''sono nettamente migliorate sia sul piano clinico che delle indagini strumentali e sono definibili soddisfacenti''. Lo steward, di 25 anni, di nazionalita' cinese, rispondeva al momento del ricovero, aggiunge lo Spallanzani, ''ai criteri clinico-epidemiologici dettati dall'Oms per i sospetti casi di Sindrome acuta respiratoria severa (Sars)''. MISURE NEGLI AEROPORTI - Misure sanitarie sono state adottate all'aeroporto Leonardo da Vinci di Roma per accrescere la vigilanza contro il diffondersi della polmonite atipica scoppiata in alcuni paesi dell'Asia. Ai passeggeri in arrivo o in transito a Fiumicino dalle zone infette - nella lista dell'Organizzazione Mondiale della Sanita' compaiono: Toronto, Hong Kong, Uangdong, Pechino, Shanghai, Taiwan, Singapore ed Hanoi - i medici della sanita' aerea, subito dopo lo sbarco in aeroporto, forniscono, stampate su appositi foglietti illustrativi scritti in varie lingue, informazioni sul virus e sulla sintomatologia della malattia, ad esempio la febbre alta. Il foglietto invita chi dovesse nei giorni successivi allo sbarco avvertire qualche sintomo o avere anche solo sospetti, a contattare le autorita' mediche del luogo in cui si trova. Dieci giorni durante i quali i viaggiatori dovranno stare con gli occhi aperti e segnalando al proprio medico eventuali sintomi. ALTRE DUE VITTIME IN CANADA - Un paziente affetto da Sars, o 'sindrome respiratoria acuta grave', stando a fonti mediche ufficiali dello stato dell'Ontario, e' deceduto ieri sera e un altro stamani, portando a sei il numero delle persone uccise in Canada dall'infezione causata da un nuovo virus, che sembra appartenere alla famiglia dei virus del raffreddore. Nell'Ontario, lo stato dove si sono registrati quasi tutti i casi di infezione da Sars e dove e' stata dichiarata l'emergenza sanitaria, sono 124 le persone contagiate dalla malattia. OMS: BILANCIO VITTIME E CAUSE - Potrebbe essere il bestiame delle regioni del sud della Cina la fonte della polmonite anomala che ha provocato 64 decessi in tutto il mondo e colpito circa 1700 persone. E' quanto sostiene un portavoce dell'Organizzazione mondiale della sanita', citata dalla France Presse. L'Oms, in particolare, sta lavorando all' ipotesi che l' epidemia abbia avuto origine nel sud della Cina dove molte persone vivono vicino agli allevamenti di animali, soprattutto maiali, polli e anatre. Peter Cordingley, portavoce dell' Oms della sede di Manila, ha detto che ''in questa fase non diciamo che gli animali siano la causa, ma certamente e' una cosa che esaminiamo nel quadro generale''. MERCOLEDI' I FUNERALI DI CARLO URBANI - Alla memoria del medico italiano il presidente della Repubblica, Carlo Azelio Ciampi, assegnera' una medaglia d'oro ai benemeriti della salute pubblica, riconoscimento proposto dal ministro della Salute. 01/04/2003 16:37