Information on SARS

jAnY SG

I have received this email from a frd.... for your information.

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Dear friends,

Just being warned again by my Doctor friend in HKU that they now suspect the flu is caused by some kind of virus not plasma. They suspect that the main form of transmission is by hand contact. People get the virus by touching the fluid left by the infected patients at door knobs, utensils and so on, and then rub their nose or eyes.

Therefore the best way to avoid being affected is to avoid contact of say door knobs, handles or railings at places frequented by many, eg. mrt stations, shopping complexes, public toilets, etc and to wash your hand frequently. The virus is not too contagious by air because other pateints at PWH hospital adjacent to the infected patients apparently are OK, but Doctors, nurses and workers who got in touch with the patients or indirectly with the utensils are infected!

Facts you should know :

WHAT is atypical pneumonia?

It's a lung infection that is caused by certain organisms like mycoplasma, legionell (Legionnaires' disease) and chlamydia. However, the agent that has caused the recent outbreak of atypical pneumonia in Hong Kong has not yet been identified, though the suspicion is that it is a type of virus.

How do I know if I have it?

You may have contracted this new type of atypical pneumonia if you have travelled to Hongkong, Hanoi or Guangdong province in the last two weeks and have come down suddenly with high fever, muscle aches, cough, sore throat and breathing difficulties. Or if you have come into close contact with those who are infected and have developed similar symptoms.

You should seek immediate medical attention.

Who is most susceptible to atypical pneumonia?

People with a history of asthma, heavy smoking, sinusitis, bronchitis, allergic rhinitis as well as those whose immune systems are weakened for any reason, like chemotherapy, Aids, steroids or other drugs and chronic illnesses. The very old and the very young are also more vulnerable.

Is this type of pneumonia infectious?

Yes, it can spread to those in close contact with an infected person. So far, most of the newly infected have been family members, friends and health-care workers who came into close contact with patients.

Is atypical pneumonia dangerous?

Pneumonia is a serious infection that can potentially lead to death in some cases. So far, the Singapore cases are stable and no one has died.

What can I do to prevent myself from catching this?

Avoid travel to the affected places. If you must travel there, avoid crowded places and areas where those infected are being treated. If you touch surfaces in crowded areas, such as handles, door knobs and railings, always wash hands first before touching your face. Ensure good ventilation if you are in contact with someone who is infected. Rest well and drinks lots of water while you are travelling.

Taking extra vitamins and other herbal preparations may have some limited effect. Wearing a surgical mask will not help much unless you are in direct contact with people affected by the disease.

The answers above were supplied by the Ministry of Health and private physicians and specialists.
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Disclaimer:This information should be used at your own risk

jAnY SG

Atypical Pneumonia

Definition
Atypical pneumonia refer to pneumonia causes by certain uncommon bacteria/viruses such as, Legionella pneumonphila, Mycoplasma pneumoniae, Chamydia pneumoniae etc. which can be quite severe and lead to high mortality rates. Elderly individuals, smokers and people with chronic illnesses and weakened immune systems are at a higher risk for this type of pneumonia.

It should be very closely monitored in the situation of cluster occurrence of infection in healthy persons such as the case in Prince Wales Hospital.

How will you feel and what you should do
fevers and chills
loss of appetite (anorexia)
cough -- may be dry/productive of phlegm shortness of breath
headache malaise
muscular stiffness and aching confusion
diarrhea rash

Diagnosis depends on a high level of suspicion. An early Chest X-ray is very helpful. Early antibiotic treatment for patients who do not response to standard treatment is important. Intravenous fluid
hydration and oxygen therapy are helpful in some patients.

Advice:
Calling your doctor
- Seek medical evaluation if you develop fevers, cough, and/or shortness of breath.
- Be prepare to seek a second medical opinion in the case of persistence of symptoms despite treatment.

Prevention
- Avoid staying in area with poor ventilation and avoid crowded area;
- Reduce visits to hospitalized friends/relatives as far as possible and do not bring elderly/kids;
- Avoid smoking/smoky environment;
- Avoid traveling to epidemic region or countries;
- Ensure adequate rest and good nutrition to secure personal immunity;
- Avoid close contacts with colleagues, friends or family members with suspicious symptoms;
- Persuade your colleagues or family members to consult doctor if they develop suspicious symptoms.

Disclaimer:This information should be used at your own risk

iwarp SG

Check this out

http://www.who.int/csr/sarscountry/en/

CloneMe72 SG

Researcher's Advice on SARS

The fact of the mysterious pneumonia has been widely spread in HK drives me to do a literature review on the suspected cause (i.e. coronavirus) of the SARS (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome). As a biomedical researcher, let me show you my concern and make the following suggestions.

The basic mechanism of viral attack is that the viruses replicate themselves using the host's (in this case is "our") DNA genetic replication system. By doing this, our body could not function well due to the massive viral replication. Supposing, the immune cells in our body will fight off the infected viruses quickly. However, the viruses are so smart that they could be able to produce some chemical substances to cause our immune cells to die. Besides, this coronavirus is a new kind of virus which belongs to a mutated strain and our body cannot recognize it.

No antibiotics have been proved to be 100% effective in treating viral infection so far. The only effective way to get rid of it is by ourselves. It likes a prolonged battle between the viruses and our immune response. In fact, viruses couldn't kill all the immune cells in a health individual. The stronger the immune function you have, the less the viral injury you get. Therefore, the degree of sickness after infection and the rate of recovery mainly depends on how strong your immune function is.

You cannot avoid the infection unless you avoid from those infected individuals/area. But, you can try your best to boost up your immune function by several regimes. Make sure you are "extremely healthy" at least during this critical period. Stronger immune function could keep the viral damage minimal even you were so unluckily being infected.

Also, stronger immune function delays the onset of any detrimental effects from the viral infection. Scientists are now working on tracking the treatment and so make sure you are still surviving until an effective treatment occurs. The following suggestions aim to strengthen your immune function within a short period of time.

1) Antioxidant nutraceuticals: Antioxidants are chemicals found in foods which exert a great value in strengthening our immune system. Boost up your immune function by taking a cocktail of antioxidant supplements.

- Vitamin E 1000 IU per day. Alpha-tocopherol is the biological active form of vitamin E. There are two forms of it:
d-tocopherol and dl-tocopherol.
d- is the natural form and dl- is the synthetic form. Try to get the d- form because it is absorbed faster in our body.

- Vitamin C (ascorbic acid) 1000 milligram (mg) daily. Instead of taking supplement, you can take 2 pieces of citrus fruits (e.g. orange) a day to get the vitamin C. Beta-carotene, not more than 10000 IU daily

- Selenium, 200 microgram daily

- Zinc, not more than 500 milligram (mg) daily

- Lipoic acid, 50 mg daily

- Glutathione, 50 mg daily

No adverse effects have been reported from the above suggested supplementation dose.

2) Let green tea to be your daily beverage because it contains tremendous amount of antioxidant flavonoid, catechins. - Eat more tomatoes, broccoli or fruits and vegetables in red and dark green color. They carry a huge amount of antioxidant carotenoids, lycopene and carotene.

3) No intense physical activities during this critical period! It has been shown that intense exercise will suppress your immune function (related to the upper respiratory infection) even several days following your workout. Instead of intense exercise, light-to-moderate workout helps if you have been training regularly.

4) Make sure you get enough carbohydrate foods (e.g. rice, food concentrated in starch... etc) because carbohydrate is the primary food for immune cells . Do some Gatorade or Pocari if needed since they are both good sources of carbohydrate.

5) Make sure you get enough sleep and don't make yourself so stressful! Anxiety, depression, and tried will influence your body's stress hormones (e.g. catecholamine and glucocorticoids) and so suppress your immune status.

6) Mouth-mask helps despite it is not 100% effective. But it can still decrease the chance from infection.

All the above information are supported by peer-reviewed biomedical literatures, that means they are credible and reliable!

Good luck and take care.

Parco M. Siu, MPhil, PhD Candidate
West Virginia University School of Medicine