Severe Acute
Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) |
On September
9, 2003, the Singapore Ministry of Health reported what health officials
there are calling "a new probable case" of severe acute respiratory
syndrome (SARS) in Singapore on the basis of preliminary laboratory test
results. Confirmatory laboratory testing is pending.
The patient
is a 27-year-old man who had worked in two different laboratories in Singapore.
He developed a fever on August 26 and received medical attention on August
27, 29, and September 1. He was admitted to a Singapore hospital on September
3 with fever, muscles aches, and joint pains. He later developed a dry
cough; chest x-rays have been normal. On September 8, PCR and serologic
testing in Singapore showed evidence of infection with SARS-associated
coronavirus (SARS-CoV), and the patient was transferred to another hospital.
Repeat PCR tests performed in another laboratory in Singapore were also
positive for SARS-CoV.
The patient
has no history of travel to other previously SARS-affected areas and no
history of contact with SARS patients. The patient has been in isolation
since being admitted to the hospital and is doing well. Contacts of the
patient have been identified and placed in quarantine; none are ill. Hospital
staff on affected wards are using protective gear and are being monitored
for signs and symptoms of illness (e.g., temperature surveillance). The
World Health Organization (WHO) has been notified of the case. According
to a statement on the WHO SARS Web site (www.who.int/csr/don/2003_09_10/en),
“The Singapore case is mild, isolated, and has not produced secondary
cases, and therefore is not regarded as a public health concern.”
Investigations
are under way to confirm SARS-CoV infection and determine possible exposures
of the patient. CDC has offered assistance and expects to receive specimens
for testing. CDC will continue to work with Singapore Ministry of Health
officials to monitor the situation.
For additional
information, see the press release issued at http://app.moh.gov.sg/new/new02.asp?id=1&mid=8100
by the Singapore Ministry of Health (http://app.moh.gov.sg)
on September 9, 2003.
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