SARS scare has health officials on guard.Byline: Tim Christie The Register-Guard As public health experts around the globe work to contain the spread of SARS, local and state health officials say they're ready for the day that the highly infectious disease Infectious disease A pathological condition spread among biological species. Infectious diseases, although varied in their effects, are always associated with viruses, bacteria, fungi, protozoa, multicellular parasites and aberrant proteins known as prions. reaches Oregon. SARS, or severe acute respiratory syndrome Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) Definition Severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) is the first emergent and highly transmissible viral disease to appear during the twenty-first century. , has infected 4,649 people worldwide and killed 274, as of Friday. Most cases are in mainland China, though Singapore, Hanoi in Vietnam and Toronto are identified as hot spots hot spots acute moist dermatitis. for the disease as well. In the United States, health officials have counted 41 probable cases and no deaths. Oregon has had one suspect case, involving a 57-year-old woman in the Portland area who had traveled to China, but state public health officials have determined she did not have SARS. She turned out to have a bacterial infection in her lungs, said Dr. Ann Thomas, an epidemiologist with Oregon Health Services health services Managed care The benefits covered under a health contract . Thomas said the state's main defense against the disease now is simple: communication. "You need to talk to people," she said. "It's all about relationships. I feel like a salesperson or marketing person." The state has created a network of about 200 doctors and nurses at every public health department and hospital in the state. State disease detectives stay in regular contact with the network, sending out e-mail updates and taking calls from doctors about potential cases. "The main thing we're interested in is to hear about cases and for them to be aware of the infection control procedures they need to follow," she said. A key message, Thomas said, is that if people are returning to Oregon from China, Singapore, Vietnam or Toronto and think they may be sick, the first thing they should do is call their local health provider rather than just showing up at the doctor's office or a hospital emergency room. Infection control specialists at McKenzie-Willamette Hospital and Sacred Heart Medical Center Sacred Heart Medical Center may refer to: In the United States:
The disease is spread mainly through close person-to-person contact. People can get infected if they touch an infected person's skin or objects contaminated contaminated, v 1. made radioactive by the addition of small quantities of radioactive material. 2. made contaminated by adding infective or radiographic materials. 3. an infective surface or object. with droplets from sneezing To verbally tell somebody about a new and interesting Web site. See viral marketing. or coughing, and then touch their eyes, mouth or nose. It also is possible SARS can be spread through the air. Both hospitals' plans include getting a SARS patient into a room with less air pressure than its surroundings. This would prevent potentially infectious air from circulating out of the room and into the rest of the hospital. And health workers have been instructed in how to practice effective infection control when coming in contact with the patient. Nurses and doctors need to wear a special respirator respirator /res·pi·ra·tor/ (res´pi-ra?ter) ventilator (2). cuirass respirator see under ventilator. -called an N-95 mask because it filters out 95 percent of particles that are 0.3 microns across or larger - gowns, gloves and eye protection. PeaceHealth has posted its own SARS page on its internal Web site, with links to the Centers for Disease Control and the World Health Organization, said Peggy Schultz, an infection control practitioner. Her office sends out e-mails to employees and makes Power Point presentations to small groups of employees. McKenzie-Willamette also is sharing the latest information on SARS to its health workers, from nurses to housekeepers, telling them what they need to do protect themselves and patients, said Cathy Stone, an infection control practitioner. "Health workers are a real risk group," she said. Both hospitals will notify Lane County Public Health if they get a suspected SARS case. "That's a big key because they would be involved in community containment," Stone said. "They would look to investigate if there are other associated cases." Lane County Public Health gets at least one call a day from a member of the public asking about SARS, and sometimes as many as 10 a day, said Betsy Meredith, communicable disease communicable disease n. A disease that is transmitted through direct contact with an infected individual or indirectly through a vector. Also called contagious disease. nursing supervisor. The local health department would work with state epidemiologists and the CDC See Control Data, century date change and Back Orifice. CDC - Control Data Corporation , if necessary. "Like any reportable communicable disease, we would be on the front lines of early identification and providing the information that both the public and the providers need," she said. Meredith said local doctors have evaluated an unspecified number of potential SARS cases, but all were ruled out. Public health nurses also have taken calls from health officials at the Lane County Jail, the University of Oregon The University of Oregon is a public university located in Eugene, Oregon. The university was founded in 1876, graduating its first class two years later. The University of Oregon is one of 60 members of the Association of American Universities. Health Center, and local schools, asking what to do if they encounter a potential SARS case, she said. "We're trying to help these organizations field their own phone calls," she said. SARS INFORMATION Symptoms: Fever of 100.4 degrees or more and signs of respiratory illness, such as cough, shortness of breath Shortness of Breath Definition Shortness of breath, or dyspnea, is a feeling of difficult or labored breathing that is out of proportion to the patient's level of physical activity. or difficulty breathing. What to do: Call your local health provider and speak with a triage triage Division of patients for priority of care, usually into three categories: those who will not survive even with treatment; those who will survive without treatment; and those whose survival depends on treatment. nurse. Do not show up at the doctor's office or emergency room without calling first. SARS on the Web: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), agency of the U.S. Public Health Service since 1973, with headquarters in Atlanta; it was established in 1946 as the Communicable Disease Center. : www.cdc.gov/ncidod/ sars/ Oregon Department of Human Services: www.ohd.hr.state.or.us/ acd/sars/index.cfm Lane County Public Health: www.lanecounty.org/ CAO_PIO/ Public_health_links.htm |
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