China confirms 2 more SARS cases, WHO cautions ( 2004-01-18 11:26) (Agencies)
China confirmed two more cases of SARS on Saturday, the country's most hectic
travel weekend before the start of the Lunar New Year. The World Health
Organization urged further testing to ensure the diagnosis was correct.
Dr Robert Breiman:
No repeat of last year's outbreak.
[newsphoto]
Previously identified as suspected patients, the new cases were a 35-year-old
businessman and a 20-year-old waitress. The waitress had worked at a restaurant
in the southern Chinese city of Guangzhou that served civet cat, a regional
delicacy and a suspected source of the disease.
The total number of severe acute respiratory syndrome this year now stands at
three. The season's first confirmed case, a 32-year-old television producer, was
released from the hospital last week after recovering from what health officials
said may be a milder strain of the virus.
The government of the southern province Guangdong, where the disease emerged
last year, said in a statement that SARS experts confirmed the two new
diagnoses.
"They concluded that the clinical symptoms and results of laboratory tests
and X-ray tests were in line with a diagnosis standard recommended by the Health
Ministry for SARS," the statement said.
WHO: Confirmations premature
But Roy Wadia, a WHO spokesman in Beijing, said the agency thought the
confirmations were premature.
In the case of the businessman, blood samples were taken from him three days
apart instead of at least seven - a timeframe that would be long enough to
measure a significant rise in antibodies for any disease, Wadia said.
"At this time it's difficult to tell what their antibodies are responding to.
It could be the SARS coronavirus or a type of common cold virus," he said. "We
encourage a little more testing to be done to be 100 percent sure of the
outcome."
Busy travel season in China
Saturday's announcement came during China's busiest travel season, when
millions crisscross the country in planes, trains and buses to return to their
hometowns for the Lunar New Year, the country's biggest holiday, which starts
January 22.
A spokesman for the Health Ministry urged continued diligence in preventative
work by health authorities at all levels, especially during this period.
"No effort should be spared in guarding against the spread of the disease,"
the spokesman said in a statement. "We mustn't be caught off guard or relax our
vigilance."
The first case of severe acute respiratory syndrome came to light in November
2002; the disease killed 774 people and sickened more than 8,000 globally before
subsiding in June.
Both WHO and Chinese experts have said that the three latest cases have been
milder, with patients having fevers for shorter periods and, unlike many people
stricken earlier, not needing respirators to breathe.
The waitress, who was identified by her surname, Zhang, was discharged from
the hospital Saturday morning, and 100 people who had contact with her were
released from quarantine and medical observation, the Guangdong government
statement said.
The businessman, whose last name was given as Yang, was in stable condition
with no fever, one of the major symptoms of the disease. He will remain in
isolation and continue to be treated, the statement said.
According to Xinhua, 22 of the 28 people who had come in contact with him
were no longer under observation.
Another link with civet cats
A WHO team returning from Guangzhou on Friday said they found that civet cats
with the SARS virus were in the restaurant where the waitress worked - more
evidence that the weasel-like mammals are the source of the disease.
Team leader Dr. Robert Breiman also said that experts found the virus on a
large number of cages at two live-animal markets.
The WHO has stressed that it still doesn't know what role the civet cats play
in spreading the SARS virus, but almost 4,000 civets and hundreds of other
exotic animals have been slaughtered throughout Guangdong as a preventative
measure.
