Two Santa Clara County men have been hospitalized with what
health officials suspect is severe acute respiratory syndrome, a
new and mysterious illness that has puzzled doctors and been blamed
for 14 deaths and over 300 illnesses worldwide.
Two Santa Clara County men have been hospitalized with what health officials suspect is severe acute respiratory syndrome, a new and mysterious illness that has puzzled doctors and been blamed for 14 deaths and over 300 illnesses worldwide.
Health officials did not release the names or hometowns of the two men, but said both recently traveled to Asia, where the disease – called SARS for short – is most prevalent.
One, a 38-year-old man who went to Hong Kong and Thailand earlier this month, is currently hospitalized in fair condition. Meanwhile, another 32-year-old Santa Clara County man is hospitalized in Colorado, where he went after spending time in Hong Kong and Indonesia.
Health officials believe it takes fairly close contact for the condition to spread from person to person. They are currently monitoring people who they believe have come into such contact with the two men.
“People certainly shouldn’t be alarmed or panicked about it,” said Matt Schenone, a spokesman for the county’s Public Health Department. “It is cause for some concern, and that’s why we’re being very careful to notify all the doctors in the community about the possibility of SARS, and notify hospitals on what to do if they get a suspected case.”
The county’s Public Health Department had sent out a health alert to the medical community before the cases were discovered.
At least six California residents are suspected of having the disease, although the federal Centers for Disease Control has officially acknowledged only three cases to date. There are two believed cases in Los Angeles County, one in Placer County and one in Alameda County.
Several more California cases are under investigation, said Dr. Duc Vugia, the California Health Department’s infectious disease chief. But he and other health officials said they see no evidence that the disease is spreading through the state.
The number of suspected U.S. cases is currently at 13, and is expected to rise, but no fatality in this country has been reported.
