Sarossa Share Discussion Threads

[the knowing] 30/12/2003 23:46

BEIJING (AFX-ASIA) - The World Health Organization (WHO) said more tests
need to be carried out before the suspected SARS case in southern China could be
confirmed definitively.
"The case remains an inconclusive case, or a suspected SARS case, according
to the Ministry of Health," said Roy Wadia, the WHO's Beijing-based spokesman.
"It's agreed that more tests need to be carried out, and China has agreed to
send samples overseas for testing as well," he said Tuesday.
The tests will take place at laboratories affiliated with the WHO, as
suggested by the WHO itself a few days earlier, he said.
"The Chinese ministry of health in Beijing feels that the tests that have
been done are too inconclusive," Wadia said.
The WHO's comments came after a senior Chinese health official said
yesterday that all tests of a suspected SARS case in a 32-year-old man in
Guangzhou had turned out positive.
"The case has been confirmed," Feng Shaoming, spokesman for the Guangdong
Center for Disease Control, was quoted as saying by Agence France-Presse news
agency. "Our experts at the Center for Disease Control have made many tests and
they are all positive."

[chambeaj] 28/12/2003 14:01

'Super-TB' created by scientists


Possible Ebola case in Zimbabwe

[waldron] 18/12/2003 06:59

WASHINGTON (AFX) - Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) transmission can
take place aboard planes when infected people fly during its symptomatic phase,
a study due to be published Thursday found.
"Transmission of SARS may occur on an aircraft when infected persons fly
during the symptomatic phase of the illness," a team of researchers led by Sonja
Olsen of the International Emerging Infections Program, Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention, in Nonthaburi, Thailand, said in the study to be run in
The New England Journal of Medicine.
Scientists interviewed passengers and crew members at least 10 days after
they had flown with a patient or patients infected with SARS.
In one of the aircraft 22 out of 119 people were infected.
"Illness in passengers was related to the physical proximity to the index
patient, with illness reported in 8 of the 23 persons who were seated in the
three rows in front of the index patient," researchers added. "No illness was
documented in passengers on the flight that carried a person who had
presymptomatic SARS."
"This finding probably explains why no transmission has been identified from
patients in whom symptoms have not yet developed and why in most cases
transmission has occurred in hospitals," said Donald Low and Allison McGeer,
researchers in Toronto, in an article in the same issue.
"It is not difficult to control the disease once it has been recognized
(...) If SARS returns, the greatest challenge will remain the early recognition
of outbreaks," they added.
jbe/mdl/mac/rc

[marwalker] 17/12/2003 11:38

Seems it's a Tiwanese research worker, implication caught SARS at work. However he visited Singapore a week ago . Singapore now quarantining 70 people as a 'precautionary measure.'

[marwalker] 17/12/2003 08:42

Heard on CNBC that there could be a new sars case , sorry didn't catch all of the item . Do you own airline shares ? Worth monitoring.

[maywillow] 05/11/2003 15:37

GENEVA (AFX) - A vaccine against the SARS virus will take at least two years
to develop and health experts must concentrate on control measures to counter a
possible new outbreak of the disease, the World Health Organisation (WHO) said.
The first clinical trial on a test vaccine could begin in January but
successful development would take far longer to complete, the WHO said in a
statement following a meeting of international researchers at its headquarters
in Geneva last weekend.
"A resurgence of SARS may accelerate the process and result in a vaccine
within two years," WHO said.
"If there is no big outbreak of SARS then the vaccine will follow the
classical development path, and would not be ready for four to five years," it
added.
The experts agreed that health authorities will be unable to count on a
vaccine if there is a resurgence of the virus later this year.
The WHO has warned that the SARS virus, which thrives in similar conditions
to those that lead to influenza, could return during the autumn and winter
season in the northern hemisphere.
"Efforts to develop a safe and effective human vaccine against SARS and the
level of international collaboration are very encouraging," said WHO Director
General Lee Jong Wook.
"But in the immediate term, we must be ready to manage a possible resurgence
of SARS through the control measures that work =-- surveillance, early
diagnosis, hospital infection control, contact tracing and international
reporting," he added.
pac/dmh/gk

[maywillow] 15/7/2003 07:14

BASEL (AFX) - Roche Holding AG today announced the worldwide launch of a
test to detect the virus that causes Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS).
The test was developed in only eight weeks, the shortest development time
ever for a research product at Roche, the company said.
Roche has performed preliminary studies with the product and plans
additional studies at various sites in Asia, Europe and Canada.
The company said it believes the test will be an essential research tool
that will help increase understanding of the epidemiology of SARS.
It is based on Roche's patented real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR)
technology, which is already used worldwide in a wide variety of clinical and
research applications.
[e-mail]
at/vs

[maywillow] 15/7/2003 07:14

BASEL (AFX) - Roche Holding AG today announced the worldwide launch of a
test to detect the virus that causes Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS).
The test was developed in only eight weeks, the shortest development time
ever for a research product at Roche, the company said.
Roche has performed preliminary studies with the product and plans
additional studies at various sites in Asia, Europe and Canada.
The company said it believes the test will be an essential research tool
that will help increase understanding of the epidemiology of SARS.
It is based on Roche's patented real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR)
technology, which is already used worldwide in a wide variety of clinical and
research applications.
[e-mail]
at/vs

[maywillow] 20/6/2003 09:40

BEIJING (AFX-ASIA) - No new cases of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome
(SARS) have been reported in the country and there were also no new deaths, the
health ministry said in its daily briefing.
The data represented the 25th consecutive day in which China recorded fewer
than 10 new cases and the 13th consecutive day without a new case.
China's tally in the epidemic remained 347 dead from 5,326 infections, the
ministry said, of which 191 and 2,521 respectively were in Beijing.
No new suspected cases were reported in the last 24 hours, leaving 23
suspect SARS patients under observation nationwide.
Twenty SARS patients were released from hospital in the past 24 hours,
leaving 166 still being treated.
So far, a total of 4,806 people infected with SARS have recovered and left
hospital.
mp/bjn/rc

[maywillow] 19/6/2003 13:06

Nearer to home

PARIS (AFX) - A police station in central Paris has been placed under
quarantine, after a woman suspected of having the SARS virus visited its
offices, police said.
Doctors have been conducting tests on the woman, whose identity has not been
revealed.
The police station has been closed to the public and employees forced to
remain inside pending the test results, police said.
[e-mail]
rb/ss/ims/

[waldron] 02/6/2003 20:56

Alcatel Shanghai Bell leads anti-SARS multimedia mobile application development

Open 3G Reality Centre platform and funding available to developers who propose relevant applications

Shanghai, May 23, 2003 - Alcatel (Paris: CGEP.PA and NYSE: ALA) will open its 3G Reality Centre in China to application developers in the Asia Pacific region, to jointly work on multimedia mobile medical applications to contribute to the current anti-SARS fight.

In the current severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) situation, Alcatel Shanghai Bell has made the development of multimedia mobile applications useful for SARS prevention and treatment a priority. Such applications can include mobile "tele-medicine" and remote temperature follow-up with discharged patients, which will be of great help in the anti-SARS campaign.

In addition, Alcatel has pledged research fund support and incubation for developers with strong proposals for relevant application development. This will be done through its Telecom Technology (T Tech) Fund - the first-ever investment vehicle exclusively dedicated to China-origin telecom technology with an initial investment of US 18 million dollars.

As the first comprehensive, live 2.5G/GPRS and 3G/UMTS environment in China, Alcatel Shanghai Bell's 3G Reality Centre here is the ideal place to develop, test and prototype such applications. Since its launch in June 2002, the Centre has partnered with important application content providers such as Intrinsic Technology and Korea's WiderThan.com, to provide mobile operators in China and the Asia Pacific region with the latest applications and services.

Andrew Young, President of Alcatel Shanghai Bell, said, "As a socially responsible corporate citizen and a company deeply rooted in China, we will play our part in fighting this disease. We will leverage our position as the leading Chinese telecom technology vendor as well as our parent company Alcatel's leadership of the world telecom infrastructure market to offer the latest telecommunications technologies to this effort, particularly in the mobile and multimedia sectors."

Alcatel has also donated US 200,000 dollars worth of communications equipment to anti-SARS hospitals in Beijing, for use by doctors, patients and their family members.


About Alcatel Shanghai Bell
Alcatel Shanghai Bell is the first foreign-invested company limited by shares in the telecommunications sector in China, with Alcatel holding 50%+1 shares and Chinese shareholders holding the remainder. The multi-billion dollar telecom technology leader delivers end-to-end telecommunications solutions and high-quality services, covering the fixed, mobile networking, broadband access, intelligent optical networking, multimedia solutions and network applications. It also has a key international R&D center with full access to Alcatel's global technology pool, developing original technology for use in China and export to Alcatel's customers worldwide. With an advanced manufacturing center, and the most extensive sales and support network in China, it is the only company capable of meeting the global needs of Chinese customers. For more information, visit Alcatel Shanghai Bell on the Internet at

About Alcatel
Alcatel provides end-to-end communications solutions, enabling carriers, service providers and enterprises to deliver content to any type of user, anywhere in the world. Leveraging its long-term leadership in telecommunications network equipment as well as its expertise in applications and network services, Alcatel enables its customers to focus on optimizing their service offerings and revenue streams. With sales of EURO 16.5 billion in 2002, Alcatel operates in more than 130 countries.


Contact [e-mail]

[fud248] 01/6/2003 11:36

The sunday Telegraph runs an article about the side affect causesed in the attemped treatment of people (especially health professional)to fight SARS. Talks about memory loss etc...

[maywillow] 01/6/2003 11:15

TAIPEI (AFX-ASIA) - Taiwan launched a 10-day nationwide temperature-check
campaign, as figures showed the SARS epidemic continued to wane.
The Center for Disease Control (CDC) reported four new cases today, raising
the total number of infections on the island to 680. The number of people
succumbing to the respiratory illness remained unchanged at 81.
Of the four new cases, two were from the north of the island and two from
the south.
The government is keen to stamp out the outbreak and wants to boost early
detection through the temperature check campaign. An official survey showed
nearly 80 pct of Taiwanese families have thermometers, and nearly as many said
they would like to cooperate, according to the cabinet's SARS Contingency
Committee.
It said people who did not have a thermometer could have their temperatures
checked at some 6,000 designated community pharmacies islandwide.
"We stand a good chance of beating SARS (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome)
if all of us work together," Lee Ming-lian, the head of the committee, said on a
television programme aired nationally.
He also urged the public to maintain good personal hygiene to prevent future
epidemics.
The temperature drive initiated by the Taiwan-born Nobel prize winner Lee
Yuan-tseh is not compulsory but health authorities say they are confident most
people will participate.
So far 134 SARS patients have recovered and been discharged but authorities
warned the public against letting its guard down.
"We must not relax our vigilance at the last moment, or what happened to
Toronto might happen here," Taipei Mayor Ma Ying-jeou told reporters after
giving away hundreds of thermometers at a traditional market.
Canada's biggest city Toronto had been taken off the WHO list of areas with
recent infections but was put back on the list last week, underscoring the
volatility of the SARS situation.
On Friday, Canada reported its 30th victim. It is the only country outside
Asia to suffer SARS deaths.
The World Health Organization (WHO) earlier said the low number of confirmed
new cases reported over the past week indicated the outbreak in Taiwan has begun
to decline.
Taiwan authorities have set a goal to have the country removed from the
WHO's travel advisory list by June 20.
With the epidemic being gradually brought under control, movie theaters,
supermarkets and the streets were again jammed at the weekend with people not
wearing face masks.
The Taipei city government also announced that it is switching its anti-SARS
efforts from preventing the spread of the disease to helping the business sector
recover from the economic damage caused by the outbreak. The city government's
measures will include rent cuts and loans.
cty/bro/tr

[kawai tanuki] 28/5/2003 00:29

Strange that they can cure SARS in a year or so yet they can't cure the similar (just not deadly) common cold, but then again pharmas will make a hell of a lot more selling treatments for the symptoms of colds than they would actually curing it in people.

[broomsticks] 21/5/2003 13:03

Nothing is definite yet about the cause of SARS there could be more than one cause, apparently the epedemic may not all be due to that. It may be a combination of several viruses and factors, one of which is a type of influenza virus.



Nobody really knows until the results of blood tests etc., are analysed.

[freeme] 19/5/2003 00:38

MSN 18 May 2003
....Taiwan, with the world's third-highest number of SARS deaths and infections after mainland China and Hong Kong, said the outlying Penghu islands had reported their first cases, stark evidence the virus was still spreading. A hospital on the Penghu islands, about 40 km (25 miles) west of Taiwan, was shut and more than 100 medical staff and patients were put under quarantine after a man and his wife, who visited a SARS-hit hospital on the main island, were found to have caught the virus. "We only have two major hospitals. If what happened in Taiwan happens here, I don't know what we can do," said Penghu island resident Irene Kao. On the main island, another hospital had been closed on Sunday, taking to four the number of Taiwan hospitals that have been shut or partially shut since the outbreak began. Taiwan reported five more deaths and 36 new infections on Sunday, its biggest one-day jump in new cases.......

..............................................
Virus transmission risk through Taiwan/US military links?

[freeme] 18/5/2003 09:09

BBC online 23rd April
Africa wakes up to Sars

By Elizabeth Blunt
BBC, London


African countries are stepping up measures at ports and airports to detect travellers who might be carrying the Sars virus.


Many Beijing residents are anxious to leave
This follows warnings that the pneumonia-like disease poses a particular threat to people whose immune systems have been weakened by Aids.

So far the continent has not been affected by Sars, although one suspected case is being investigated in South Africa.

But with Sars continuing to spread in East Asia, African countries are gradually waking up to the threat they could face.

Kenya, Uganda and Ethiopia are now checking all travellers from affected areas, and health authorities from Lagos to Cape Town have been put on alert.

There may be no confirmed cases in Africa yet, but the possibilities are frightening.

Aids fear

One of the scientists who discovered the Aids virus, Luc Montagnier, warned this week that people whose immune systems were already weakened by Aids would be very vulnerable to catching Sars, and if they caught it, would be much more likely to die.



If Sars and Aids combine, said Professor Montagnier, it would be a disaster.

In some parts of Africa more than a third of adults carry the Aids infection.

Uganda's government-owned New Vision newspaper has warned that because of this Sars could strike with lethal speed and has called for a massive public education campaign.

Some people would go further; in South Africa a researcher in the field of public health is fighting a one-man campaign to get South Africa Airways to stop all flights to Hong Kong, so as to at least delay the spread of the virus to what he says is a critically vulnerable population.

...............................................................................
Crystalclear-Sorry,your argument is not just with me.
We can both agree that SARS is a threat however.

[freeme] 17/5/2003 23:37

Question-If we are being advised not to visit Beijing, Hong Kong, Guangdong, Inner Mongolia, Shanxi, Taipei,Hebei and Tianjin why are citizens from these
areas being allowed into the U.K. without first being quarantined ?

If that task is beyond the U.K. authorities then why not a blanket ban on
flights from these infected zones?