States brace for outbreak as mysterious disease attacks people worldwide. (On First Reading).The frenzied preparations states made after the 2001 anthrax anthrax (ăn`thrăks), acute infectious disease of animals that can be secondarily transmitted to humans. It is caused by a bacterium (Bacillus anthracis outbreaks may be a boon in battling a contagious and mysterious 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. , 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. (SARS), that has been killing people around the world. SARS has spread primarily in Southeast Asia (China, Singapore, Vietnam and Thailand), but also has drifted into the United States and Canada. The World Health Organization reports at press time that worldwide more than 7,296 people have come down with the disease, and the death toll has hit 526. The cause of SARS is not known, but is thought to be a member of the coronavirus coronavirus /co·ro·na·vi·rus/ (ko-ro´nah-vi?rus) any virus belonging to the family Coronaviridae. Coronavirus /Co·ro·na·vi·rus/ (ko-ro´nah-vi?rus family, which includes the virus attributed to the common cold. The area hardest hit has been Hong Kong with 1,674 cases. Some 212 people have died, and hospitals were bracing for more. U.S. businesses there have temporarily closed to disinfect To remove the virus code that has attached itself to a legitimate file. Sometimes, the antivirus program cannot untangle the code, and the infected file has to be deleted. See quarantine. their offices, and many people are routinely wearing surgical masks in public. Nationally, the 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. (CDC See Control Data, century date change and Back Orifice. CDC - Control Data Corporation ) issued a travel advisory for those visiting mainland China, Hong Kong, Singapore and Hanoi. The CDC conducted SARS teleconferences for state health departments to keep them apprised of developing trends in the epidemic. To date, 64 confirmed cases of SARS have been identified in 30 states in the United States. Ontario, Canada, has issued quarantine orders for people with symptoms arriving from Southeast Asian nations. Canada has reported 145 cases. State public health departments have worked to limit the burden of potential local outbreaks. States with quarantine stations in their airports passed out brochures on SARS symptoms to passengers arriving from Southeast Asia and examined those who appeared ill. State health departments issued advisory letters. Through the Health Alert Network, agencies informed clinicians of the symptoms to help diagnosis and told them how to report suspected cases. State public health Web sites also carry information on SARS. |
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