SARS - Severe Acute Respitory Syndrome
There continues to be reports of a new and serious infection occurring primarily in Hong Kong, Vietnam, Singapore and China. Some of the individuals who caught the infection have returned to the US and Canada and spread the infection to others. So far there is no know treatment and the infected are solely dependent on their immune system to save them. Those not so fortunate to have a strong immune system have died. On the surface, this appears to be an infection similar to the pandemic that struck the world in 1918-19 and killed millions around the world. This type of an infection has been expected my the medical community for years. So far, the spread appears to have been limited but due to the 7 day incubation period, it is hard to be sure.
Many of these new viruses originate in the Far East - primarily China - hence the often used reference to the "Asian flu". It is no coincidence that new previously unknown infectious diseases originate in that region. The source is due to the culture of the region. Many areas are agricultural in nature and due to the poverty, many farmers live right along side their chickens, pigs, etc. This presents an opportunity of animal viruses (and bacteria) to 'jump' from their animal hosts and infect human hosts. Many viruses do not affect humans and are essentially harmless. But a few can affect humans and are not immediately recognized by the human host as an invader. These viruses, if they survive for a period of time outside a host, can begin to infect a larger and larger population, spreading unchecked until they are identified and a treatment found.
For the time being, it appears the virus' appearance has been caught, work on a treatment is in progress and isolation of its victims to contain its spread may thwart any possible pandemic from occurring.
03/30/03 ( 516 )
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