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Metropolis Reality Forums Ť Scientists confirm earlier find on SARS ť

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   Scientists confirm earlier find on SARS

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Topic: Scientists confirm earlier find on SARS (Read 353 times)

Rhune
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Scientists confirm earlier find on SARS
« on: Apr 16^th, 2003, 9:53am »

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Scientists confirm earlier find on SARS
WHO: Identity of virus known
Wednesday, April 16, 2003 Posted: 9:00 AM EDT (1300 GMT)

LONDON, England (AP) -- Scientists have confirmed the identity of the virus that causes the lethal new disease known as severe acute respiratory syndrome, the World Health Organization said Wednesday.

In experiments conducted at Erasmus University in Rotterdam, Netherlands, scientists infected monkeys with the coronavirus suspected of causing of SARS and found that the animals developed the same symptoms of the disease that humans do.

The test was a crucial step in verifying the cause of the disease, which so far has killed 161 people worldwide, mostly in China and Hong Kong, and made 3,235 people ill in 22 countries.

Scientists were almost certain that a new form of coronavirus first isolated from sick patients on March 27 by the University of Hong Kong was the cause of SARS.

But they could not say for sure until they had satisfied what is known as the Koch's postulates -- four scientific tests that verify whether a bug causes a certain disease.

"The Koch's postulates have been fulfilled, so we can now say for certain that the new coronavirus is the cause of SARS," said Dr. Klaus Stohr, a World Health Organization virologist participating in a Geneva conference.

Researchers at the University of Hong Kong said a new genetic sequencing of the SARS virus proves conclusively that it came from animals.

But, the virus nonetheless is "something that is new to science," university microbiologist Malik Peiris said before the WHO findings were announced.

Asked about the possibility that the virus was man-made, Peiris said there was no chance of that.

"That whole genome is essentially new," he said. "Nature has been the terrorist throwing up this virus."

Researchers at a Singapore government-run institute reportedly are almost ready to begin trials of a test to detect the presence of SARS in a patient's blood before the onset of symptoms.

The University of Hong Kong researchers also said they believe -- but have not proven -- that the virus mutated into a more dangerous form that infected about 300 people in one hard-hit apartment complex there.

"This virus did not originally exist in humans, it definitely comes from animals," said Yuen Kwok-yung, a microbiologist at the University of Hong Kong.

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Addams
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Re: Scientists confirm earlier find on SARS
« Reply #1 on: Apr 16^th, 2003, 9:56am »

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It is so incredibly amazing what they have been able to accomplish in about 8 weeks time. There have been some persons working around the clock to get this scientific data. In British Columbia scientists have issued the first draft gene sequence for the virus.

It's so important to have all these pieces and then they can have the necessary tests for proper diagnosis - that will help to deal with some of the issues we are facing here in Toronto.

God bless these scientists - I know how hard they work.

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Rhune
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Re: Scientists confirm earlier find on SARS
« Reply #2 on: Apr 16^th, 2003, 10:04am »

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Japan SARS-Free Thanks to Luck...And Hand-Washing
Tue Apr 15, 2:50 PM ET Add Health - Reuters to My Yahoo!
By George Nishiyama

TOKYO (Reuters) - Nearly 150 people have died of it and thousands been infected by it around the world, but Japan has so far been free of the deadly flu-like SARS virus -- something experts put down largely to pure luck and partly to hand-washing.

Japan had reported a total of 45 probable and suspected cases of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) as of Monday, but all except one, which is under investigation, have been ruled out as being the SARS virus thought to have spread from China's Guangdong province.

"I can't think of any reason other than luck," said Hiroko Sagara, a doctor who heads the infectious disease department at the Yokohama Municipal Citizen's Hospital near Tokyo.

"After all, there are many people who had traveled to Guangdong," added Sagara, who is also on the Health Ministry's panel of SARS experts.

The government issued a travel warning early this month urging people to put off non-urgent trips to Guangdong and Hong Kong, whose strong business links with Japan have meant a busy flow of travelers.

Japanese direct investment to Guangdong stood at $671 million, or 5.2 percent, of all foreign investment in 2001, second only to Hong Kong, according to the Japan External Trade Organization.

"I wouldn't be surprised if we get a confirmed case," said a Health Ministry official.

CHILDHOOD HABITS

Sagara said if there was anything unique about Japan that was preventing a SARS outbreak seen in other Asian countries including Singapore and Vietnam, it may be the practice of washing hands frequently.

The importance of washing hands and gargling after getting home is drummed into Japanese children from their elementary school days, and the habit seems to last into adulthood.

"I think a lot of people still do wash their hands," Sagara said, adding that the custom would help authorities to contain SARS even if a confirmed case were to emerge in Japan.

Other experts have recommended frequent hand-washing to protect against SARS, which is thought to spread in a way similar to the common cold and flu.

But with no end seen to the worldwide spread of the virus, the public is growing nervous, and some of the nation's tabloids have run stories of alleged cover-ups of SARS deaths, including the "mysterious" deaths of airline pilots.

The Health Ministry denies it has been hiding anything from the public.

"We have been disclosing all of the reported likely cases of SARS. We are absolutely not hiding anything," the ministry official said.

There have been more than 3,000 cases of SARS, including probable ones, and 144 deaths from the virus, according to the World Health Organization

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Rhune
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Re: Scientists confirm earlier find on SARS
« Reply #3 on: Apr 16^th, 2003, 10:04am »

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on Apr 16^th, 2003, 9:56am, addams wrote:

I agree, they have done some good work on this.

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