Third respiratory case reported in Massachusetts

Mass Live The Associated Press 4/1/03 12:29 PM

BOSTON (AP) -- A baby girl adopted in China was identified Tuesday as the third Massachusetts resident who may have contracted a mysterious respiratory illness that has killed at least 63 people worldwide.

The 1-year-old is the niece of a Springfield woman who was treated last week for severe acute respiratory syndrome, or SARS. The 40-year-old woman had traveled with her sister, the adoptive mother, and re-entered the United States on March 21.

The child was being treated at Baystate Medical Center in Springfield for symptoms including fever, cough, and difficulty breathing, according to the state Department of Public Health.

"She's been in very good condition," DPH spokeswoman Roseanne Pawelec said. "She's recovering and is expected to be released soon."

The mother is not ill, she added. The 40-year-old woman, whose name was not released, was treated by her doctor in Connecticut and is recovering, Pawelec said. She traveled to Hong Kong and parts of China between March 7 and March 21. She did not require hospitalization.

"Both this 1-year-old child and the aunt had some symptoms while they were in China," Pawelec said. "It was not a matter of the child becoming ill from the aunt."

Hospital staff are treating the child in an isolation room. Attending staff are wearing gloves, gowns, eye protection and face masks, Pawelec said. She said the child was admitted to the hospital either late Friday or Saturday after DPH officials interviewed the mother as a precaution when the aunt reported symptoms.

Several other Massachusetts residents who recently traveled to Southeast Asia have reported respiratory symptoms and are being evaluated to determine if they meet the case definition for SARS, Pawelec said.

"We've been talking to dozens of people," she said. "People are being ruled out or ruled in depending upon their symptoms and their history of travel. There will be additional suspect cases in the days and weeks to come."

Massachusetts two weeks ago became one of the first states to mandate the reporting of SARS to public health officials.

The first suspected Massachusetts case was a Cambridge man who had just returned from a trip to Hong Kong and Singapore. He also is recovering.

Blood samples from the suspected cases are being tested to see if the symptoms can be attributed to any other kind of illness.

There have been no deaths from SARS in the United States.

Some of the most severe measures were being taken in Hong Kong, which has recorded 16 deaths from SARS. Out of more than 1,600 SARS cases globally, 685 have been in Hong Kong.

Hong Kong on Tuesday invoked a colonial-era law to quarantine more than 240 people in countryside vacation camps, part of redoubled efforts to halt the spread of the illness.

Nations across Asia implemented new measures to contain the spread of SARS. It first was reported in China and its initial symptoms include fever, dry cough and shortness of breath. There still is no cure.

Singapore shut down one of its largest colleges for a week, Taiwan banned boats from sailing from mainland China to an outlying island chain, and the World Economic Forum postponed a meeting of economic and government leaders in Beijing until autumn.