To print: Select File and then Print from your browser's menu --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Title: US CDC Reinstates Travel Alert for Toronto URL: http://www.pslgroup.com/dg/23373A.htm Doctor's Guide May 25, 2003
BETHESDA, MD and TORONTO, ONTARIO -- May 25, 2003 -- On May 22, 2003, Health Canada reported a cluster of five new suspicious cases, indicating new transmission in Toronto that is currently under investigation. The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is therefore reissuing a travel alert for Toronto, Ontario, Canada. According to Health Canada, a cluster of five individuals with pneumonia has been linked to St. John's Rehabilitation Hospital in Toronto, including three patients, one family member, and one health care worker. Their onset dates of symptoms were between May 1 and May 16. Three are in critical condition, one is stable in hospital, and one has recovered after being treated with antibiotics and has been discharged. One of the five patients, a 57-year-old male who is immunocompromised due to a prior lung transplantation, had one respiratory specimen (broncho-alveolar lavage) that was positive for SARS-coronavirus (SARS Co-V) by PCR and genetic sequencing. Two cases in this cluster are in the same family. One is a patient at St. John's Hospital, who shared the same room with the 57-year-old patient, and had a symptom onset of May 15. The other travelled to Hong Kong, returned on April 22 and developed the symptoms approximately 24 days after her return. Therefore, it is unlikely that she acquired the illness abroad. However, she visited the hospital once on May 11. Although the clinical presentation of the five patients is consistent with SARS, they do not meet the SARS case definition, as to date, a definitive epidemiologic link has not been established. An intensive investigation is in progress to determine whether there is an epidemiologic link and to confirm the presence of SARS Co-V within this cluster. On May 8, 2003, CDC had issued a travel alert for Toronto but lifted it on May 20, 2003 because more than 30 days (or three SARS incubation periods) had elapsed since the date of onset of symptoms for the last case. In response to the SARS epidemic, CDC has issued two types of notices to travelers: advisories and alerts. A travel advisory recommends that nonessential travel be deferred; a travel alert does not advise against travel but informs travelers of a health concern and provides advice about specific precautions. Interim definitions and criteria for travel alerts versus advisories and guidelines for changing notices are available at www.cdc.gov/ncidod/sars/travel_alertadvisory.htm. CDC again recommends that U.S. travelers to Toronto observe precautions to safeguard their health. This includes avoidance of settings where SARS is most likely to be transmitted, such as health-care facilities caring for SARS patients. CDC does not recommend the routine use of masks or other personal protective equipment while in public areas. CDC is distributing health alert notices (www.cdc.gov/ncidod/sars/travel_alertcan.htm) about SARS to people traveling to the United States from Toronto. Travelers to Toronto should monitor their health while there and for at least 10 days after departure from Toronto. If fever or respiratory symptoms (for example, cough or shortness of breath) develop, a visit to a health-care provider is strongly recommended. The provider should be informed about the symptoms in advance so arrangements can be made, if necessary, to prevent transmission to others in the health-care setting, see www.cdc.gov/ncidod/sars/triage_interim_guidance.htm. SOURCE: U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Health Canada --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Copyright © 1999 P\S\L Consulting Group Inc. All rights reserved. Republication or redistribution of P\S\L content is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of P\S\L. P\S\L shall not be liable for any errors, omissions or delays in this content or any other content on its sites, newsletters or other publications, nor for any decisions or actions taken in reliance on such content. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- This news story was printed from *Doctor's Guide to the Internet* located at http://www.docguide.com --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Return to News Story Page This site is maintained by webmaster@pslgroup.com Please contact us with any comments, problems or bugs. All contents Copyright (c) 1998 P\S\L Consulting Group Inc. All rights reserved.