X-Message-Number: 21443 From: "Mark Plus" <> Subject: BBC: Drug helps mystery bug patients Date: Fri, 21 Mar 2003 11:42:57 -0800 http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/2871655.stm Drug helps mystery bug patients Doctors in Hong Kong may have a drug which can help people struggling to beat a mystery infection. The WHO, which issued a worldwide alert over the infection last week, has now recorded more than 300 suspected cases of the illness, including 173 in Hong Kong, 62 in Vietnam and 34 in Singapore. There have now been 10 deaths from the syndrome since last week, coupled with seven from a similar outbreak in southern China last month. Dozens of other cases have been reported from many different countries worldwide. Scientists believe they have identified the cause of the illness as a virus from the paramyxoviridae family - which includes the viruses that cause measles and mumps. The evidence that the disease is viral has been boosted by the news that treatment using the anti-viral drug ribavirin has shown some benefits among the most seriously-affected patients. Symptoms are flu-like in the first instance, rapidly followed by respiratory problems, often serious. Third UK case A man is in hospital in Birmingham with what may be another UK case of the illness. The latest UK case is a man who visited China a week ago. He has been admitted to a specialist infections unit at Heartlands Hospital, in Birmingham. Hospital officials said it was as yet an unconfirmed case, but that he had symptoms suggesting it was "severe acute respiratory syndrome" (SARS). Test on the way A team of WHO inspectors is travelling to Beijing to investigate the southern Chinese outbreak. They now believe it is "likely" that the Chinese outbreak involves the same infection. A spokesman for the WHO said: "We are increasingly optimistic that conclusive identification of the causitive agent can be announced soon. "The development of a precise diagnostic test could follow quickly." The outbreak has also claimed sporting casualties - two European teams have pulled out of the Hong Kong Rugby Sevens tournament at the end of the month. Close contact Health officials say evidence so far suggests the infection is passed on through close contacts such as family members and healthcare workers. But they recommend any passengers who have travelled on flights from China, Hong Kong and South Asia who develop high fever and chest symptoms should contact doctors. Story from BBC NEWS: http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/health/2871655.stm Published: 2003/03/21 09:55:01 _________________________________________________________________ Tired of spam? Get advanced junk mail protection with MSN 8. http://join.msn.com/?page=features/junkmail Rate This Message: http://www.cryonet.org/cgi-bin/rate.cgi?msg=21443