WHO Issues Emergency Travel Advisory on Mystery Illness

An emergency travel advisory has been issued by the World Health Organization (WHO; Geneva, Switzerland) on a new respiratory illness that does not appear to respond to antiviral or antibiotic drugs.

Named severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS), the illness first occurred in China and cases have since been reported in Viet Nam, Thailand, Singapore, Philippines, Indonesia, and Canada. X-rays of most patients have shown pneumonia in the lungs. Nine deaths were reported in recent weeks. Doctors in China say the number of cases, more than 300, now appears to be declining.

WHO notes that travelers should be aware of the main symptoms. These include a fever higher than 38oC and one or more respiratory symptoms, including cough, shortness of breath, and difficulty in breathing. Other symptoms noted by patients are muscular stiffness, rash, diarrhea, and headache. Risk factors are close contact with someone diagnosed with SARS and recent travel to areas reporting the illness. However, WHO says there is as yet no recommendation for people to restrict travel to any destination.
WHO recommends that patients with SARS be isolated with barrier nursing techniques and treated as clinically indicated.

"This syndrome, SARS, is now a worldwide health threat,” said Dr. Gro Harlem Brundtland, director general of WHO. "The world needs to work together to find its cause, cure the sick, and stop its spread.”