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| Great White North |
| Military group contracts SARS in Toronto Airport? |
| 2003-07-11 |
| Sort of off topic, but it does deal with military people returning to the US... ABILENE, Texas — Nine people connected to the military have been quarantined in Texas after some reported respiratory problems similar to SARS (search), officials said. A group of military personnel passed through the Toronto Airport recently, and some reported mild to moderate respiratory problems earlier this week after returning home, said Capt. David May of Dyess Air Force Base (search) in Abilene. Is SARS that contagious that if (theoretically) they hang around a bit with somebody in the airport they could have picked it up? Only one person in the group fits the definition of a suspected SARS case, and no one has been officially diagnosed with SARS or been hospitalized, May said. But he said the military travelers and some people they’ve come in contact with, nine people in all, are now under home quarantine. Officials with the Abilene-Taylor County Public Health District said Thursday that there is no reason for alarm. Federal officials lifted a SARS-related travel alert for Toronto on Tuesday. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said more than 30 days had elapsed since the last SARS case in the Canadian city developed symptoms. Last week, the World Health Organization said SARS, or severe acute respiratory syndrome, had been contained. More than 800 people worldwide have died of SARS since the outbreak began in Asia late last year. Seems like the odds are that the Toronto Airport connection is just coincidence, but given the number of times Canada has said its under control and then more cases show up, its noticable that the new, FOX in this case, immediately noted the connection to Toronto. |
| Posted by:Laurence of the Rats |
| #4 I think the concern would be that they picked it up from a surface in the airport; there have been reports in hospital settings of the virus staying alive for longer than expected on surfaces. I think heat kills it, which is why it could be expected to die out over the summer. Of course we don't know what the vector is either. |
| Posted by: Sharon 2003-7-11 5:45:26 PM |
| #3 I didn't think them going through Toronto had anything to do with it. I just found it interesting/amusing how the media will taint every story of SARS or possibile SARS with even the faintest link to Toronto (or any other place that had an outbreak). Just lazy scaremongering style reporting. |
| Posted by: Laurence of the Rats 2003-7-11 2:52:00 PM |
| #2 Weenies! My SARS posts here It's not very contaigous at all, unless you do some really dumb things like many of the infected medical people in Toronto did. There are, I believe, no known cases worldwide from casual contact, like airports. These were Air Force guys, right? {sniffle} Musta missed a shower along the way. |
| Posted by: Chuck 2003-7-11 2:19:57 PM |
| #1 Bullshit. Everything is SARS now. SARS in Toronto was *always* contained. I've been to the airport twice and didn't see anyone panicking. |
| Posted by: Rafael 2003-7-11 1:52:57 PM |