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BIOWAR SARS EXCLUSIVE

Mon Apr 21 15:18:54 2003
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SARS EPIDEMIC
http://www.rense.com/

Possible New Treatments For SARS
By Dr. Robert E. Lee, PhD
PDF File
http://www.rense.com/general37/SARStreatmentideas.pdf

Toronto Train Riders Possibly Exposed To SARS
http://www.cbc.ca/stories/2003/04/20/sars_train030420

Singapore Braces For Largest SARS Quarantine
http://www.rense.com/general37/sinasdga.htm

SARS - Call For Isolation Of Returning British Students
http://www.rense.com/general37/calls.htm

Almost 20 More Die From SARS In China, HK
http://www.rense.com/general37/cchin.htm

SARS Statistics To Date
http://www.vanlaenen.net/SARS.html

HK Pets Being Dumped Amid SARS Transmission Fears
http://www.rense.com/general37/swsr.htm

SARS Shows Critical Need For Personal/Public Hygiene
http://www.rense.com/general37/show.htm

SARS: Be Very, Very Afraid - India
http://www.rense.com/general37/very.htm

Gloves, Masks, Gown Don't Stop SARS At Hospital
http://www.rense.com/general37/hits.htm

Bush Order Allows Forced Quarantine Of SARS Cases
http://www.rense.com/general36/auar.htm


EXCLUSIVE
Total Inactivation Of SARS Virus Achieved In 14 Seconds
http://www.rense.com/general37/sarrss.htm

New SARS Infection Projection Model (.pdf file)
or download GIF image file
http://www.rense.com/1.imagesE/dd4.pdf

BIOWAR SARS EXCLUSIVE - SARS: A Seven Virus Comparison
http://www.rense.com/general37/srars.htme

SARS Powerpoint Presentation 457k
(You must have PowerPoint to view. Free PowerPoint Viewer)
http://www.rense.com/general37/Unlocking_SARS.ppt

Dr. Robert Lee - BLAST Of Complete SARS Genome
http://www.rense.com/general37/blasst.htm

Is SARS Mutating Into A Relatively Harmless Virus?
http://www.rense.com/general37/harm.htm

More Scientists Say SARS Is A BioWeapon
http://www.rense.com/general37/bio.htm

SARS Confirmed As Manmade - Possible BioWeapon
http://www.rense.com/general37/manmade.htm

More On SARS As Manmade BioWeapon
http://www.rense.com/general37/mam.htm

-------------------------------

Hong Kong - Department of Health [edited]
http://www.info.gov.hk/dh/new/index.htm >


Situation report on atypical pneumonia 20 Apr 2003

As of 1 PM 20 Apr 2003, there were an additional 22 patients confirmed to
have atypical pneumonia following admission to public hospitals earlier.
They include 4 healthcare workers (2 from Prince of Wales Hospital, one
from Caritas Medical Centre, one from Alice Ho Miu Ling Nethersole
Hospital). The remaining 18 were other patients and contacts of patients
with atypical pneumonia.

A total of 409 patients have recovered from atypical pneumonia and have
been discharged from public hospitals. Of them, 46 were discharged today.
102 patients are receiving treatment in intensive care units.

7 patients died among Alice Ho Miu Ling Nethersole Hospital (AHNH), Kwong
Wah Hospital, Princess Margaret Hospital (PMH), Queen Elizabeth Hospital
(QEH), Tseung Kwan O Hospital (TKO)and Tuen Mun Hospital (TMH). This
brought to 88 the total number of deaths relating to atypical pneumonia.

The deceased include an 88-year-old man and 2 elderly women aged 71 and 75
respectively, who have a history of chronic disease. The remaining are 3
women and one man, aged between 35 and 47.

The cumulative figure for patients who have been admitted to public
hospitals with atypical pneumonia since 12 Mar 2003 is as follows:

Cumulative no. cases/ total no. discharged patients/ total no. deaths *
Health care workers of Hospitals/Clinics and medical students: 315/ 116/
Patients, family members & visitors: 1065/ 293/
Total: 1380/ 409/ 88

* Most of the deaths occurred in individuals who have a history of
chronic diseases, or were patients who sought treatment at a relatively
late stage of infection.

-- ProMED-mail ****** [2] Date: 20 Apr 2003 From: ProMED-mail Source: Singapore - Ministry of Health [edited] http://app.moh.gov.sg/sar/sar0301.asp?id=1&mid=6320 > SARS Situation Update 20 Apr 2003 As of 20 Apr 2003, 4 additional SARS patients have been discharged, bringing the total number of patients who have recovered from SARS to 104. 58 SARS patients remain hospitalised. There is one additional SARS case reported today. She is a 28-year-old female visitor who was in contact with a SARS patient in [National University Hospital] NUH Emergency Department. The SARS patient was admitted to NUH on 8 Apr 2003, transferred to [Tan Tock Seng Hospital] TTSH on 9 Apr 2003 and died on 12 Apr 2003. Pasir Panjang Wholesale Market Active contact tracing is currently underway for persons who might have come into contact with the 3 SARS cases from the Pasir Panjang Wholesale Market. They include their family members, and the [General Practitioner] GP and sinsehs [Chinese traditional doctors] that the patients had visited. They will be served home quarantine orders. In addition, as a precaution, all the stallholders and employees at the Pasir Panjang Wholesale Market will also be placed on home quarantine orders for a period of 10 days. Persons who are served the Home Quarantine Order must stay at home at all times for the duration stated in the Order. If they breach the order, they will be liable for a fine or jail term. The government would provide financial assistance to those served with the Home Quarantine Orders for the period of the quarantine. The Ministry of Health would like to strongly urge members of the public who have been to the Pasir Panjang Wholesale Market during the period from 5 to 19 Apr 2003 and who have a fever or symptoms of muscle ache, cough, or difficulty in breathing, to call the MOH Special Ambulance Hotline at 9-178-8477 / 9-178-8478 immediately. An ambulance will be despatched to bring them for screening at the Emergency Department, Tan Tock Seng Hospital. It is critical that we minimise the risk of community spread of SARS. The strong pre-emptive measures being taken are in line with this, but we also need the full cooperation of the public; those who have visited Pasir Panjang Wholesale Market should come forward to TTSH for assessment, as soon as they have fever or feel unwell. It is Safe to go to TTSH The public can be assured that they will not catch SARS by coming to Tan Tock Seng Hospital for SARS screening or follow-up. Tan Tock Seng Hospital is safe because of the stringent infection controls. No TTSH staff looking after known SARS patients have caught the infection after the enhanced infection control precautions were put in place in TTSH. Strict infection control measures are in place at TTSH to ensure the safety of those who go there for SARS screening. Masks are given to all patients. All staff wear masks, gowns, and gloves so they cannot infect patients or get infected. Spacious waiting areas are provided. Patients with low risks of SARS are seen by separate doctors in separate clinics. Patients admitted for observation are provided individual rooms. They are never made to stay with other Suspect patients or Probable SARS patients. All precautions are taken so that patients are protected from catching the infection. Summary of SARS cases A summary of the SARS cases to date: Discharged: 104 Hospitalised: 58 (including 19 in intensive care) Deaths: 14 + 2 (pending further post mortem test results) Total: 178 Suspected: 87 (including 7 children below 18) Under home quarantine orders: 467
-- ProMED-mail ****** [3] Date: 20 Apr 2003 From: ProMED-mail Source: NY Times 20 Apr 2003 8:02 AM [edited] [A] China Admits a Tenfold Increase of SARS Cases in Beijing http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/science/AP-SARS-Virus.html > China reported a jump in SARS deaths on Sunday and a 10-fold increase of infected people in the capital -- an embarrassing admission that cost the health minister and the Beijing mayor their Communist Party posts. Struggling to stop the spread of the disease, officials canceled a major week-long holiday in May, when tens of millions of people usually go traveling. The demotion of Health Minister Zhang Wenkang and Beijing Mayor Meng Xuenong came shortly after officials held a 2-hour news conference to announce the sharp increases in SARS cases. Zhang lost his post as secretary of the leading party members' group of the Ministry of Health. Meng was removed as the deputy secretary of the party's Beijing Municipal Committee. The government said Sunday the flu-like illness has killed 12 more people and that the number of infections in Beijing has soared from 37 to 346. The new figures raised China's total number of deaths to 79 and its cases to 1814, Gao Qiang, an executive vice health minister, said at a news conference. "With such a situation, with more than 300 patients in Beijing, the situation is already very serious," Gao said. He added there were 402 more suspected cases in the capital. Gao also made a rare admission that his ministry was not properly prepared for the outbreak. The ministry "has not given out clear instructions or effective guidance," he said. But Gao denied reports that SARS cases were intentionally hidden from investigators. "We have not discovered any locality or place that has intentionally hidden these statistics," he said. In recent weeks, several nations have urged their citizens to avoid unnecessary travel to China. However, the Chinese government continued to encourage the public to stick with plans to go on vacations during the week-long May Day holiday, which was to start 1 May 2003. Marking a major shift in how China is viewing the SARS danger, Gao said that officials were canceling the vacation period, which has been extended in recent years to boost the travel industry and encourage consumer spending. "The purpose of such an act is to prevent the massive movement of people and the possible spread of the disease," Gao said. He acknowledged that the advisory could deal a big blow to China's economy. "I'm sure this measure will mean massive losses in tourism revenue, but people's lives and health had to be put above everything else," Gao said. So far, officials have not detected the spread of SARS in large rural areas, he said. He noted that farmers have lower incomes and less access to medical care. If the outbreak hit the countryside, "the consequences would be grim," he said. [B] China Admits Much Higher Number of SARS Cases http://www.nytimes.com/2003/04/20/international/asia/20CND-CHIN.html > With bureaucratic shuffling and an apologetic, 2-hour news conference, a senior health official, .... admitted to the existence of a large number of previously undisclosed SARS patients in military hospitals and revealed what he called the first aggressive survey of cases in some 70 scattered hospitals. "Accurate figures have not been reported to high authorities in a timely manner," he added, though he later argued that incompetence rather than deliberate deceit was the main problem. In an unusual move for such sensitive and embarrassing news, the news conference was broadcast live on a national television channel. The unveiling of markedly higher disease figures as well as the firings (perhaps the first of many) capped a tense week in which China's efforts to play down SARS, especially in Beijing, were assailed by experts from the World Health Organization and questioned by medical whistleblowers here and by Beijing residents, who through word of mouth began hearing about far more patients than officials had acknowledged. Today, Mr. Gao of the Health Ministry repeatedly tried to heap blame on the ministry's shortcomings, and to the disarray in Beijing where several political jurisdictions, including municipal, national, military, and others, overlap but have not coordinated disease-control efforts. As of today, Beijing city health officials will oversee all anti-SARS measures throughout the urban area, including at military hospitals, Mr. Gao announced. Mr. Gao also expressed concern about the spreading reports of SARS in several inland provinces, while some outside experts said the case reports from some distant provinces seemed too low. A major source of error in previous Beijing reports was the exclusion of patients in several major hospitals that are run by the military, but which also hold civilian patients. The angry public assertion by a retired military surgeon that more than 100 SARS patients were in the military system and being omitted from public reports was a major blow to the government's credibility and today, Mr. Gao revealed that the discrepancy was still greater. Of 353 SARS patients still in the hospital on Friday [18 Apr 2003], he said, 235 of them were in military hospitals, a high proportion that no one has explained. Over the last week, Mr. Gao said, hundreds of officials were dispatched to all of Beijing's hospitals to check for possible SARS patients and to verify whether they had been reported to the city or national authorities. They came up with totals that well surpassed the rough estimate of a World Health Organization team, which on Wednesday [16 Apr 2003] caused consternation here by declaring that Beijing had undercounted and that the total might be in the range of 100 to 200. Mr. Gao urged the public to understand that the sudden multiplication of cases did not imply a sudden new surge in disease, but rather that the official numbers were catching up to reality. "In days to come, more of the `suspect' cases will be confirmed," he added. With more complete SARS data only now compiled, Mr. Gao said, the trend in the epidemic is unclear, and he could not say whether new cases each day are now rising or falling. [Byline: Erik Eckholm]
-- ProMED-mail ****** [4] Date: 20 Apr 2003 From: ProMED-mail Source: News briefs [edited] [A] Mongolia from VOA news 20 Apr 2003, 11:47 UTC http://www.voanews.com/article.cfm?objectID=13E3640F-F168-41B2-ABB5C590DD5A9905&title=Mongolia%20Adopts%20Tough%20Anti%2DSARS%20Measures&catOID=45C9C78B-88AD-11D4-A57200A0CC5EE46C&categoryname=Asia%20Pacific > China's neighbor, Mongolia, has introduced tough measures to cut the risk of infection after 5 people were suspected, but not confirmed, to have the virus. Those being monitored had all visited a hospital in Hohhot, China. Although they had gone to China for non-SARS related ailments, 4 of the 5 came back with a fever. Doctor Udval Natsag, second in charge at the Ministry of Health, ....says the Hohhot hospital had several confirmed cases of SARS, and so the possibility that the illness has spread north from China's Inner Mongolia region is very real. "There has been contact with their friends and family, and Mongolia is a high risk [area], because we have a border with Inner Mongolia [in China],... many Mongolians travel to Inner Mongolia every day." In the capital, Ulaanbaatar, public gatherings have been banned, which has forced the shutdown of theaters and movies houses. And at night, there is an eerie calm, as bars and restaurants have been ordered shut by 10 PM. [B] Canada from Canada.com 20 Apr 2003 http://www.canada.com/toronto/story.asp?id=08A84C1A-93F2-488C-B1EE-825A520429D4 > A new cluster erupted at Sunnybrook and Women's College Health Sciences Centre in suburban Toronto, which has treated about half the region's SARS patients over the past month. As of yesterday, 4 staff members, including at least one doctor, a nurse, and a respiratory therapist, were in hospital. Another 8 hospital staff members were sent into home quarantine as potential SARS cases. Officials said they believe the [above] infections occurred during difficult intubations, including one [on 13 Apr 2003] that took 4 hours. Intubation involves placing a tube down a patient's throat to facilitate breathing. Some staff started feeling symptoms associated with SARS on [16 and 17 Apr 2003]. The hospital's head of infection, prevention and control, said one worker's eye shield slipped during the Sunday intubation procedure, but there is no other known breach of the staff's "full-droplet" protection. That includes gowns, gloves, eye shields, and

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