SARS Spreads Schools Abroad Remain Cautious

Author: Andrea Gissing

Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS), a disease associated with the signs and symptoms of pneumonia and other respiratory illnesses, has been spreading around the world since late last year and has now been reported in 22 countries.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), there have been a total of 3,235 cases of SARS reported, with 154 fatalities to date.
The epidemic is believed to have started in southern China late last year. Yet, because the symptoms of SARS closely resemble pneumonia and other respiratory illnesses, it was difficult to identify it as a new disease. Currently, the largest concentration of reported cases are in China and Hong Kong, though large numbers have been reported in Vietnam, Singapore, Taiwan, France, Germany, Italy, Ireland, Switzerland, Thailand, the United Kingdom, South Africa, Canada and the United States. The Center for Disease Control (CDC) has announced that there are currently 193 suspected cases of SARS in the United States.
Most of the countries that have reported cases of SARS have implemented some sort of quarantine procedure. President George W. Bush added SARS to the list of diseases that warrant quarantine procedures. Many schools in Hong Kong and Singapore have been shut down to prevent the spread of the syndrome, although until recently fatalities have only occurred in the elderly. Three of the deaths that occurred in Hong Kong this past weekend were people under the age of 50, marking a departure from a previous pattern in which SARS caused deaths primarily in the elderly or in persons with pre-existing disease, according to the WHO.
Since SARS is a highly contagious disease, there have been many concerns about travel to or extended stays in affected countries. Syracuse University shortened its spring semester in Hong Kong and cancelled two upcoming programs in mainland China. Currently, there are no Middlebury students studying on non-Middlebury programs in southeastern Asia. The closest Middlebury College students in the region are those studying with China Education Tours (CET) Academic Programs in Harbin, in northeastern China, a region that has not been affected to date. Director of Off-Campus Study David Macey noted that the programs ponsors, as a precaution, prohibited the students from traveling outside of Harbin during their mid-term break.
Macey explained that Middlebury itself is not taking steps to cancel programs or recall students. "With regard to our students in China with CET, but as in the case of Middlebury students on all non-Middlebury programs, we will not seek to outguess the program operators, since they have more hard information available to them than we do."
The health center has been working to keep abreast of the developments unfolding regarding SARS.
Parton Health Center posted a notice on the Middlebury College web site, outlining the CDC's definition of the disease, as well as encouraging students who suspect they might have SARS to make an immediate appointment.
Dean of Language Schools and Schools Abroad and Professor of Russian Michael Katz said, "We are very concerned [about SARS] and are working closely with the college health center to educate, monitor and communicate with our international students and faculty at our schools abroad and the language school."
"In the case of the SARS alerts," said Macey, "at this time there is, perhaps, more concern about flying than there is about remaining in China, particularly in the northeast. The real situation, however, has been exaggerated by the media, by popular perceptions, by Chinese secrecy and inattention and by overreactions."
"Concerning Middlebury's Schools Abroad," he continued, "we in Vermont monitor available sources of information continuously while our staff monitor their respective local situations, and we make decisions based on a sober assessment of the available information, taking into consideration recommendations made by government agencies such as the State Department, the CDC and their representatives abroad."
SARS symptoms include fever, chills, headaches and some mild respiratory symptoms, followed in three to seven days by lower respiratory symptoms that include a dry, nonproductive cough that may by accompanied by hypoxemia, (insufficient oxygen in the blood).
Mark Peluso, college physician, clarified that the initial SARS symptoms closely resemble those found in most common upper respiratory illnesses (URI).
"The key point that separates SARS from other URI's," he explained, "is that you need to have symptoms and [have] been in contact with a SARS patient or healthcare worker.
SARS' incubation period appears to be from two to seven days.
Transmission is thought to be by both airborne particles and on surfaces, via respiratory droplets from individuals presenting SARS symptoms (through coughing and sneezing) or by direct contact with the patient's respiratory secretions.
The CDC's case definition of SARS states as follows: a respiratory illness of unknown origin with onset since Feb. 1, 2003, and the following criteria:
A measured temperature greater than 100.4∞ F (38∞ C) AND
One or more clinical findings of respiratory illness AND
Travel (including transit in an airport) within 10 days of onset of symptoms to an area with documented or suspected transmission of SARS OR
Close contact within 10 days of onset of symptoms with either a person with a respiratory illness who traveled to a SARS area or a person known to have SARS.