SARS - BEPAST Email Update
March 21 2003
Please consider FORWARDING the following 4 links regarding Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) to other colleagues within your DC-Virginia-Maryland organization regarding updates from WHO and CDC.
· CDC’s “Specimen Collection for Potential Cases of SARS” (http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/sars/specimen_collection_sars.htm)
· NY Times Article “Asian Medics Stay Home, Imperiling Respiratory Patients” (http://www.nytimes.com/2003/03/21/international/asia/21INFE.html)
· WHO’s “Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) multi-country outbreak - Update 5” (http://www.who.int/csr/don/2003_03_20/en/)
· CDC ‘s “Infection Control Precautions for Aerosol-Generating Procedures on Patients who have Suspected SARS” (http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/sars/aerosolinfectioncontrol.htm),
The SARS update this Friday morning, March 21 2003, includes some key issues:
1. Albuquerque, New Mexico: Presbyterian Hospital sent 15 ER and Radiology employees home on paid leave "for a couple of days" after a patient with possible SARS was seen in their ER and sent home on antibiotics and oxygen last Friday, March 14th, then returned Sunday, March 16 and was admitted in respiratory isolation. Their Dept. of Health made the recommendation to send the employees home in an effort to avoid spread of SARS. I called Presbyterian Hospital and was given the voicemail of the hospital spokesman quoted in the Albuquerque Journal Mr. Sandman. (Newspaper: www.abqjournal.com/health).
2. In a few hospitals in Vietnam and Hong Kong: "The care of many patients with a mysterious respiratory illness is being seriously jeopardized because nurses and other health care workers are staying away from their jobs out fear of getting sick themselves, officials at the WHO said yesterday... Some hospitals in Vietnam and Hong Kong are working with half the usual staff. (http://www.nytimes.com/2003/03/21/international/asia/21INFE.html NY Times International online March 21 2003 by Lawrence K. Altman).
3. There are now 3 suspected cases in the NYC-NJ area of SARS in returning travelers (NY Times "New York Region" article on line today by Jennifer Steinhauer). The CDC reported yesterday that there are 13 "suspected cases under investigation" of SARS in 10 (named) states in the USA.
4. There might be concern in our region soon about SARS being transmitted in Hotels and other public places given the news yesterday (see attached file from WHO March 20 update) that about 7 of the initial SARS cases being in the same Kowloon Metropol hotel in Hong Kong.
a. So far, no cases of SARS have been reported among hotel workers in the Hotel in NY City where the Singaporean physician who flew from Singapore (where he had treated a patient with SARS) to NYC for an Infectious Disease review course where he developed SARS symptoms, and then flew on to Frankfurt, Germany where he was admitted directly to a hospital.
5. CDC published guidelines on how to obtain and ship patient specimens for testing for SARS. (See attached file)
6. Last night at 7pm the CDC published guidelines on Infection Control Precautions for Aerosol-Generating Procedures on Patients who have Suspected SARS (http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/sars/aerosolinfectioncontrol.htm), including aerosolized medication treatments (e.g. albuterol), diagnostic sputum induction, bronchoscopy, airway suctioning, and endotracheal intubation.
I will try to summarize some of the most important information at the First (1st) Regional DC-VA-MD SARS forum from 6-7 pm in the Washington Hospital Center Auditorium.
Most importantly, continued enhancement of DAILY (7-day/week) communication between medical organizations and involved persons (hospital-based and clinic-based) and Departments of Health within in DC-VA-MD is critical in anticipation of the first patients with possible SARS being identified in the National Capitol region soon.
Thank you.
Daniel R. Lucey, MD, MPH
Director, Center for Biologic Counterterrorism & EMERGING DISEASES (www.bepast.org) website for "SARS" algorithm updated for use in our ER.
Department of Emergency Medicine
Washington Hospital Center
cell: 614-226-2643
Blackberry: dlucey@imcingular.com