SAN JOSE
– Two Santa Clara County men have been hospitalized with what
health officials suspect is severe acute respiratory syndrome, a
new and mysterious illness that has puzzled doctors and been blamed
for 14 deaths and over 300 illnesses worldwide.
SAN JOSE – Two Santa Clara County men have been hospitalized with what health officials suspect is severe acute respiratory syndrome, a new and mysterious illness that has puzzled doctors and been blamed for 14 deaths and over 300 illnesses worldwide.
Health officials did not release the names or hometowns of the two men, but said both recently traveled to Asia, where the disease – called SARS for short – is most prevalent.
One, a 38-year-old man who went to Hong Kong and Thailand earlier this month, is currently hospitalized in fair condition. Meanwhile, another 32-year-old Santa Clara County man is hospitalized in Colorado, where he went after spending time in Hong Kong and Indonesia.
Health officials believe it takes fairly close contact for the condition to spread from person to person. They are currently monitoring people who they believe have come into such contact with the two men.
“People certainly shouldn’t be alarmed or panicked about it,” said Matt Schenone, a spokesman for the county’s Public Health Department. “It is cause for some concern, and that’s why we’re being very careful to notify all the doctors in the community about the possibility of SARS, and notify hospitals on what to do if they get a suspected case.”
The county’s Public Health Department had sent out a health alert to the medical community before the cases were discovered.
At least six California residents are suspected of having the disease, although the federal Centers for Disease Control has officially acknowledged only three cases to date. There are two believed cases in Los Angeles County, one in Placer County and one in Alameda County.
Several more California cases are under investigation, said Dr. Duc Vugia, the California Health Department’s infectious disease chief. But he and other health officials said they see no evidence that the disease is spreading through the state.
The number of suspected U.S. cases is currently at 13, and is expected to rise, but no fatality in this country has been reported.
So far, the mystery bug has not been identified as a new flu strain. Instead, health investigators are focusing on a family of viruses called paramyxovirus, a class of bugs that includes measles and mumps.
Travel history is a key component in identifying suspect cases, said Dr. Martin Fenstersheib, the county’s public health officer.
Specific conditions that must be met for an illnes to be considered SARS include a fever over 100.4 degrees and one or more symptoms of respiratory illness, such as cough or shortness of breath. But they must be linked to a history of travel to Hong Kong, Guangdong Province in China, Hanoi, Vietnam or Singapore within seven days of the symptoms’ outset or close contact with people who have done so.
“Close contact” includes having cared for, lived with such a person or having come into direct contact with their respiratory secretions or body fluids.
“While we want our medical community and residents to be aware of SARS’ symptoms, the mere presence of respiratory symptoms should not be cause for alarm,” Fenstersheib said.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
