There are already two confirmed casses here in FL.. could be a third now, and appearantly none of the three of them are conected in anyway.. * GULP
MIAMI -- A 70-year-old Alachua County woman was identified Thursday as the third suspected Florida case of a mysterious illness that has killed nearly 80 people and sickened hundreds more in its spread from eastern Asia.
The woman was hospitalized after showing symptoms of severe acute respiratory syndrome, or SARS, after arriving from a trip to Asia, said state epidemiologist Dr. Steven Wiersma.
She was not in intensive care and the sickness didn't appear to be life threatening at this point, Wiersma said. Her name and location were not released due to privacy concerns.
Two other Florida residents, a 21-year-old woman and a 36-year-old man, were identified Wednesday as suspected SARS cases. Health officials said Thursday the two were in Miami-Dade County. They have not been hospitalized but were asked to stay home to avoid spreading the illness, Wiersma said.
Wiersma said there is no timeline for confirming the cases because there is no perfected test yet available in Florida for the illness. Samples from the three cases were sent to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta, which has a test to better diagnose the disease.
"We're talking about a syndrome that, until very very recently, there were no candidates available" to require a test, he said.
Patients are considered to have a suspected case if they have traveled to China, Hong Kong, Vietnam or Singapore in recent weeks, are running a fever over 100.5 degrees Fahrenheit, and are experiencing a cough, shortness of breath, or difficulty breathing.
The illness has killed at least 80 people in Asia and Canada and sickened at least 2,200 in more than a dozen nations. In the United States, there were 85 suspected cases in 27 states.
The spread of the mysterious illness, for which researchers haven't yet proved a cause, has heightened concerns around the country and within the state. Federal officials are distributing SARS advisories to people arriving on flights from Asia, including at Florida's airports, Wiersma said.
Although not ill, a Fort Pierce first-grader who had recently visited Vietnam with his parents was sent home from St. Andrew's Episcopal School as a precaution this week after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention expanded its travel warning to include that country.
Copyright 2003 by WFTV.com. The Associated Press contributed to this report. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed
Another Potential Case Of SARS In Florida
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Rainband
I know thats easier said than done in this day and age but try not to worry!! 
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