There is a confirmed case of SARS in Pinellas County.

[mf_dolphin]

This is in my home county...

The victim is a 41-year-old male. He is in isolation at Helen Ellis Hospital in Tarpon Springs.

The case means Florida now has two confirmed cases of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome, in addition to 12 other suspected cases. The other confirmed case involves a 1-year-old female in Collier County.

The Pinellas patient checked into the hospital with flu-like symptoms – fever, coughing and shortness of breath. Also, he traveled to China recently, where the spread of the disease began.

As a precaution, health workers at Helen Ellis have been wearing protective masks and keeping the patient away from the general patient population.

The Florida Department of Health is working with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to identify potential cases of SARS in citizens and visitors to Florida. The state asked local health officials and clinicians to watch for patients who became sick after Feb. 1 and have symptoms of the respiratory illness.

As of April 14, the CDC had reported 193 suspected SARS cases in 32 states. The most recent travel advisory calls for deferring non-essential travel to all of mainland China, Hong Kong, Hanoi, Vietnam and Singapore.

[bfez1]

Oh no, what can I say? I said I was concerned about this a few weeks ago. It is going to keep spreading. Hope they can confine it and keep it in control.

[wx247]

This has really disappeared from our local news. This is a serious situation which I feel needs more coverage than it is getting...at least where I live.

[Lindaloo]

Sad news Marshall. On the stats sheet on the cases in each state they have Mississippi as one reported case. It is just not true. The case they thought was SARS was actually the flu. Hopefully it will turn out that way in your county too.

[JQ Public]

Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome
Report of Suspected Cases Under Investigation
in the United States
This information in this table will be updated Monday through Friday.

These data were reported to the World Health Organization on April 16, 2003.


Alabama 1
California 42
Colorado 6
Connecticut 4
Florida 13
Georgia 3
Hawaii 5
Illinois 11
Indiana 1
Kansas 1
Kentucky 1
Maine 2
Massachusetts 9
Michigan 3
Minnesota 6
Mississippi 2
Missouri 2
Nevada 1
New Hampshire 1
New Jersey 3
New Mexico 1
New York 25
North Carolina 6
Ohio 10
Oregon 1
Pennsylvania 5
Rhode Island 1
South Carolina 2
Texas 7
Utah 5
Vermont 2
Virginia 5
Washington 20
Wisconsin 1
Total Suspected Cases Under Investigation 208

ps. first case of sars in india..country of a billion. Should be closely monitored?!

[Lindaloo]

JQ.... Mississippi should be at one now not two. I also believe that the other one reported will turn out to be nothing as well. This very same thing with the West Nile was widespread in MS with only half of the reports in MS turned out to actually be the West Nile.

[JQ Public]

hmmm...the cdc is usually a little slow in updating the results b/c they want to be absolutely sure that they are right. If we see mississippi back to one on monday or tues then that'll be great!