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Global cooperation to stem virus
Scientists show how united efforts on SARS might help limit the impact of a bioterrorism attack.
As public-health officials worldwide end a second week of efforts to quash the spread of a previously unknown illness traced to Asia, bioterrorism specialists are watching their progress for lessons that might be applied to the aftermath of a bioterror attack.
Indeed, the public-health response, particularly in the United States, already appears to have incorporated lessons learned from anthrax-filled letters mailed in the fall of 2001, several experts say.
The outbreak of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) has shown that "pathogens do not recognize political boundaries," says David Heyman, a bioterrorism specialist at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington, D.C. "You need a global response to bioterrorism, not just a domestic one." In that respect, he adds, "This is a great test case."
As cases popped up from China to Canada, World Health Organization (WHO) officials linked a network of 11 laboratories in nine countries to identify the agent causing the illness and devise treatments, says Julie Hall, a WHO medical officer. She characterizes the current collaboration as "unprecedented."
At week's end, WHO, which is based in Geneva, had gathered reports of 1,323 cases of SARS in 13 countries, and attributed more than 50 deaths to the disease since it was first recognized in Hanoi on Feb. 26. Chinese officials have identified more than 700 cases in the country's southern province of Guangdong.
Hong Kong has tallied 316 cases, while Singapore has identified 74. Six European countries, as well as the US and Canada, have also reported cases.
In response, Singapore this week closed schools to keep the outbreak from spreading to the city-state's 500,000 school children.
Earlier this month, Singapore public-health officials imposed a strict 10-day quarantine of citizens who may have come in contact with people diagnosed with SARS. In Hong Kong, which has closed 100 schools, officials have adopted a similar quarantine for those who have had contact with SARS patients.
To reduce the risk to healthcare workers, doctors and nurses attending suspected SARS patients have been advised to wear gowns, gloves, masks, and even eye protection until the virus is identified and more is known about it.
Where possible, patients are isolated in special rooms with "negative air pressure" so that as doors open, air is pulled into the room and leaves through special exhaust systems.
The outbreak is thought to have begun in China's southern province of Guangdong in November. Researchers say the region has been a source of several previously unknown viral diseases, which emerge as the viruses evolve and jump from livestock to humans. From Guangdong, SARS moved into Hong Kong in February, and from there it extended its reach to Singapore, Vietnam, Thailand, as well as North America and Europe.
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