Schools close in Singapore and HK over mysterious worldwide flu virus

[foray]

When we first posted that thread about this latest worldwide virus, SARS, 9 people in the world had died from it. Since then, the number has gone up to at least 17 by my own counting.

http://smh.com.au/articles/2003/03/27/1048653791060.html

Singapore closes schools to stop public panic
March 27 2003


Singapore: Singapore today closed all schools - from daycare centres to junior colleges - in a bid to prevent public panic after a mystery flu-like illness killed two people in the city-state.

The parents of some 600,000 school children were scrambling to make care arrangements after the government announced the closures late yesterday.

The closures are the latest in a series of aggressive moves by the Singapore government to combat the spread of the illness, known as severe acute respiratory syndrome, or SARS. Officials stressed the schools were being closed to calm concerned parents, not on medical grounds.

The schools will remain closed until at least April 6, and officials will decide next week whether to extend the closures, Minister of State for Education and Manpower Ng Eng Hen told reporters.

The city-state of 4 million people has also ordered more than 860 people who may have been exposed to infected people to stay home for 10 days or risk prosecution and has closed one of its main hospitals to all patients except SARS cases.

Medical officials told reporters that they have recorded 74 SARS cases and have put an additional 40 patients into isolation who are suspected of having the disease, but have yet to be fully diagnosed.

Two have died from the illness and nine people are in intensive care, according to health ministry figures.

"This is not something you should panic over," Minister of State for National Development Vivian Balakrishnan told a news conference.

"The closure of schools and home quarantines are measures which exceed those taken by any other government in the world right now," Balakrishnan said. "Perhaps we are being excessively cautious, but that is in the nature of Singapore."

The Singapore deaths brought the total number of people killed by the mystery flu-like illness to 53 worldwide yesterday after the World Health Organisation said for the first time that cases that were called atypical pneumonia in southern mainland China were part of the same outbreak.

Health Ministry officials said they had no information about the two people who died, but local newspapers identified them today as Joseph Mok, 50, and Simon Loh, 39.

Mok was the father of one of Singapore's first three SARS patients who is believed to have contracted the disease on a trip to Hong Kong last month, the Straits Times reported. Neither his wife nor daughter could attend his cremation yesterday because they are hospitalised, the newspaper said.

Loh, a pastor, contracted SARS after he went to the hospital to pray for Mok's daughter, the report said.

Simon Loh was a pastor from Faith Assembly of God Church. Many of my friends go there. Most of my beloved are in Singapore...

From the WHO website :
Q : Should we be worried ?

A : This illness can be severe and, due to global travel, has spread to several countries in a relatively short period of time. However, SARS is not highly contagious when protective measures are used, and the percentage of cases that have been fatal is low. Since the WHO global alert issued on 15 March , only isolated cases have been identified and no secondary outbreaks have occurred.


foray

 

[yertle-the-turtle]

I'm very very scared. Most of my peers have gone out to cinemas and stuff, but this has black death written all over it. I'm as frightened as hell, and probably paranoid. My dad had a recurrence of the flu (the common one) when he came back from KL recently but he's completely recovered now, but we were all really worried. I was feeling chilly this morning and I thought it'd be my last day on earth.

Most of us in Singapore are feeling really uncomfortable. Prayers that the scientists will find a way to control this before it takes more lives.

P.S. It's really sad about the pastor. I don't know how to put this properly, but he died because of his faith and his love for others. That really is a tragedy, to me.

 

[foray]

There have been zero cases reported in Malaysia as yet, which is very surprising considering the number of cases in Singapore (probably due to Singapore's small geography and insular nature) & Thailand, as we are sandwiched between those two countries. What was that about Pastor Simon?

foray

 

[yertle-the-turtle]

I just felt it wasn't fair that he went to go help someone and then he died because of it.

 

[meegannie]

Hope they find out more about this soon.

 

[Angela Harlem]

Its a terrible twist to add to the pastor's death, I agree Yertle.
Lets hope there's a vaccine or a more effective treatment soon.

 

[Basstrap]

There are over a thousand quarentines(people forced to saty home) in Toronto area now. Someone came over from south east asia with the virus and it started spreading.
nobody knows exactly what it is...I hope it doesn't come to this province...but nobody with any symptoms are allowed to travel. I doubt even somebody with the flu could get out of TO now

 

[verte76]

Damn, I am really nervous about this disease. I've had the flu twice this year myself. Both cases responded to antibiotics and other medication, thank goodness. I hope they can stop this monster.

 

[sue4u2]

I saw a spokeswoman from the Centers for Disease Control in Atlanta, yesterday, who said the extreme cautions are being taken because of the outbreak. Even though the numbers are few, it's still considered an epidemic since it's not something they have seen before. All nations are on this (Japan has a 1,000 isolated cases) and they feel sure there will be a vaccine and/or effective treatment for it as soon . It's really scary, in the meantime.

 

[Zedbetty]

What really will make the difference with this illness, is how contagious it is. I have read a number of conflicting reports on this score (which in itself worries me), but the general impression seems to be that it is not highly contagious except in close contact (and that it becomes less powerful/contagious as it spreads further down the chain... that's what I read but I find that notion awfully implausible if we are talking about a disease related to the common cold). One has to lean toward a best-case scenario I guess. It sounds like it's mostly broken out in the past month or so, worldwide. So those x number of cases are from the last month or so. I think Singapore is very correct to be ultra-cautious, at least about this, and relatively early on. Then again, I don't live there or anything, so it's just a selfish perspective...

 

[Zedbetty]

The other thing that worries me are the conflicting reports about the nature of the illness. If it belongs to the same family as the common cold (as seemed to be suggested at one stage), then I'd guess a vaccine is extremely unlikely. We still can't cure the common cold, remember. In which case let's hope they are right in thinking that it is not highly contagious. I think if it was highly contagious (ie. airborne) you'd have millions of cases by now. Unless we're being lied to, that is probably not yet the case.

 

[christiana]

I feel you, yertle... My biology class schelduled a 5-day field trip this week originally, but now the eduation and manpower bureau closed all school and the field trip is certainly cancelled. We stay at home as much as possible...

We all wear masks and even gloves when we go out although we don't know if it even helps... I'm now worrying if this disease would ever be stopped. It's so scary...

Originally posted by Zedbetty
I think Singapore is very correct to be ultra-cautious, at least about this, and relatively early on. Then again, I don't live there or anything, so it's just a selfish perspective...

It's not selfish... How i wish my government acted like the Singaporean government. We're just being slow on everything...

 

[foray]

My friend just warned my family to buy face masks before they sell out, like in Singapore (!)...

foray

 

[anitram]

4 have died in Toronto and literally thousands are under voluntary quarantine.

One of the biggest problems here is the behaviour of the Chinese government who has obstructed and lied its way through this and refused to share information with the WHO early on. Now the WHO is furious and other nationals are dying, because the Chinese gov't seems to honour secrecy more than people's lives. It makes me a bit sick actually.

 

[meegannie]

A plane has been quarantined in California.

Plane With Suspected SARS Cases In California

The Associated Press

April 1, 2003, 2:52 PM EST


An American Airlines flight from Tokyo was quarantined on the tarmac at San Jose?s airport Tuesday after four people on board complained of symptoms like those reported from the mysterious new illness spreading through Asia, airline and city health officials said.

Two passengers and two crew members complained of symptoms similar to those found in severe acute respiratory syndrome, or SARS, according to city health officials.

Flight 128 from Tokyo to Mineta San Jose International Airport was stopped on the tarmac short of the gate, and ambulances lined up near the plane as the 125 passengers and 14 crew members waited on board.

American Airlines notified the airport that help was needed after ?the captain was informed of a passenger needing medical assistance,? said Todd Burke, a spokesman for the airline.

More than 1,600 cases of the illness have been reported so far worldwide, with at least 64 deaths. Officials say it?s unclear whether exposure on a flight is sufficient to infect people.

Joy Alexiou, a spokeswoman for the Santa Clara County Public Health Department, said the passengers and crew members who feel sick will be transported to a hospital for chest X-rays and to have their travel history checked.

?This thing seems to spread a little easier than first anticipated, so we want to take every precaution,? Alexiou said.

Others on the plane will be given medical advice and allowed to depart ? but told to immediately contact a doctor if they develop any symptoms, she said.

Copyright ? 2003, Newsday, Inc.

 

[yertle-the-turtle]

http://asia.news.yahoo.com/features/sars.html

All very worrying. Wherever you are, stay safe.

 

[ouizy]

Due to the fact that SARS has been seen in Toronto, people from my firm have started to stop going to the job site there in fear.

Also - I just heard of one construction worker who is being checked out for it....

scary stuff...

 

[The_Sweetest_Thing]

The death toll is now 7 people in Ontario. There are 2500 to 3000 people in quarintine in York Region (area north of Toronto) alone. An entire high school is under quarintine because students eat in the hospital cafeteria (directly across the street from their school).

Why has vancouver, an area closer to China, Singapore, etc, not hada as many cases as Toronto? I wonder...both have International airports, both accept many tourists. I find it odd.

 

[anitram]

The_Sweetest_Thing, are your classes canceled?

I have had 2 classes canceled this week (one of the profs is in quarantine), and half my lab as well, since we're no longer allowed to work with blood products.

 

[The_Sweetest_Thing]

ani,

we just had a class cancelled today (prof quarantine), and possibly next week. It all depends on how long the hospitals call theri quarantine for. If it lasts past Monday, I'll also end up missing a tutorial, a lab, and possibly other classes as well.

The thing that's sort of ridiculous is that I'm good friends with a girl who works in one of the hospitals (research ass't). She hasn't 'formally' been told to stay home, so she's been attending all her classes. I have just as good a chance of contracting SARS from her and other researchers as I do from my prof

Rumour has it that if ONE student gets SARS all exams will be cancelled...that's not actually true, is it?

 

[foray]

http://www.malaysiakini.com/news/200304050019817.php

1st SARS-caused death in Malaysia. In my hometown. Sigh, worrying. Worst thing is, the bleeding government, as always, is trying to withhold information about it, just like China did! I imagine there's quite a number of people who have SARS symptoms and are walking around freely... without our knowledge.

Edit: May I add, how angry this makes me; that my govt places their authority and reputation over its citizens' health and safety. This is the first official death but perhaps there have been more - only to be silenced by the govt in order to downplay the gravity of the situation. Who in their right minds would do that? My govt, of course! Cos they are so fucking stupid!

foray

 

[yertle-the-turtle]

stay safe, foray.

 

[christiana]

*hugs foray*

This is my 8th day at home... with nothing to do because all the schools are closed until 22nd...

And you know what? there's a man in Hong kong who is suspected to have SARS, but when the officials said 'you better go the the hospital,' he refused to go and locked himself inside his flat! I don't know what he was thinking, but i can sure that is a selfish idoit.

I've never found the news so annoying, but now what's on the news are either SARS or the war. Hate the news.

 

[foray]

Does locking himself in mean that he didn't want to infect others on the way to the hospital?

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[christiana]

I don't think so... The newspaper said he didn't think he has SARS so it wasn't neccessary for him to go to the hospital.