O'ahu woman latest suspected SARS case

Associated Press

An O'ahu woman who recently returned from Vietnam has been reported as the latest suspected case of a mystery flu-like illness that has sickened thousands worldwide, state Department of Health officials said today.

That brings the total number of suspected cases in Hawai'i to five, though none of the cases has been confirmed as severe acute respiratory syndrome, or SARS, officials said.

The woman who returned from Vietnam last week became ill over the weekend and was hospitalized overnight as a precaution, said Laura Lott, an information specialist with the state health department.

She was classified as a suspected case because she traveled through Hanoi to return to Hawai'i. Hanoi is listed by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention as one of the countries in Asia linked to the spread of SARS.

Worldwide, 100 people have died and more than 2,300 people have been sickened by the flu-like illness.

Hawai'i health officials testified before a House committee last week that the state is in no danger of a health crisis stemming from SARS.

Officials from the departments of health and transportation said they have plans in place to deal with potential SARS cases, adding that they also have begun distributing information cards to all travelers arriving in Hawai'i from Asia.