O'ahu woman may have SARS

By Robbie Dingeman
Advertiser Health Writer

The number of suspected SARS cases in Hawai'i increased by one after an O'ahu woman who recently traveled to Hanoi, Vietnam, became ill over the weekend.

Health Department officials reiterated that the number of cases will continue to fluctuate because the definition for severe acute respiratory syndrome is so broad.

So far, suspected cases in Hawai'i involve two women on O'ahu and one on Kaua'i who visited Asia and then reported fever and respiratory difficulties. Two other healthcare workers on Kaua'i reported possible symptoms after being exposed to the woman who had traveled to China from that island.

Lott said there have been no confirmed cases here and another possible case was ruled out last week when laboratory results found another illness had affected another O'ahu woman. State health officials continue increased surveillance of local healthcare organizations to try to pick up any signs of illness as early as possible.

Worldwide, the World Health Organization reported 2,601 cases yesterday afternoon, with 98 deaths.

As of yesterday, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention had received 148 reports of suspected SARS cases in the United States with no deaths.

There have been deaths in China, Canada, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.

The disease appears to have an incubation period of two to seven days. Suspected cases include fever higher than 100.4 degrees Fahrenheit and one or more respiratory symptoms including cough, shortness of breath, difficulty breathing and either close contact with a person diagnosed with SARS or recent travel to areas with documented transmission of SARS.

At Honolulu International Airport, the U.S. Public Health Service hands out thousands of health-alert cards to passengers on flights connecting from areas in Asia that are most affected.

DeWolfe Miller, professor of epidemiology at the Department of Public Health Sciences and Epidemiology at the University of Hawai'i's John A. Burns School of Medicine, said he finds the continuing progress in dealing with the mysterious ailment remarkable.

Miller noted that awareness about the disease spread worldwide in days. "We wouldn't have been able to do this 10 years ago," he said. He praised the Health Department's assertive approach.

Miller said SARS symptoms are vague and fairly commonplace, and that the public-health challenge is to strike a balance "between keeping everybody safe and not driving the community nuts."

Yesterday, the American Lung Association of Hawai'i announced that the organization's national call center will give out free information from professionals about concerns about SARS. The toll-free number is (800) 548-8252.

Local association president Douglas Yee said registered nurses and respiratory therapists provide answers to questions from 1 p.m. to 1 a.m. Hawai'i time, and will return messages left at that number. "Given our closeness to Asia where SARS is most prevalent, we feel this service is especially important to Hawai'i."

Reach Robbie Dingeman at rdingeman@honoluluadvertiser.com or 535-2429.