Up to 10 Australians checked for deadly pneumonia

Asian Economic News, March 25, 2003

SYDNEY, March 18 Kyodo

Up to 10 Australians have been checked after showing symptoms of a deadly strain of pneumonia that has so far killed at least four people and infected 167 others worldwide, the Australian Communicable Diseases Network said Tuesday.

All of those being investigated for Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS), a mysterious illness that first detected in Hanoi on Feb. 26, had been in Asia in the past 10 days, network spokeswoman Kay McNiece told Kyodo News.

Some have since been sent home, she said.

A 45-year-old woman who had recently been to Hong Kong was the first Australian to show symptoms, and is still being monitored in Perth, according to Australian Broadcasting Corp.

Two people isolated in Victorian hospitals Monday after showing flu-like symptoms have since been cleared, but two men, aged 29 and 46, are still under investigation in Melbourne hospitals.

''All over the country, people are being looked at,'' McNiece said.

It is predictable that among thousands of Australians who have traveled to Asia recently, some would have symptoms that are common to many flu-like illnesses, Acting Commonwealth Medical Officer John Mathews said.

''The large majority of such patients would not be expected to have SARS,'' he said in a statement.

The main symptoms of SARS are high fever and one or more respiratory symptoms including cough, shortness of breath, difficulty breathing.

Those with SARS, so far mainly health workers, have either had close contact with a person who has been diagnosed with SARS or a recent history of travel to areas reporting cases of SARS, which include Hanoi China's Guangdong Province, Hong Kong, Singapore, Toronto and Vancouver.

A spokeswoman for Quantas, Australia's national airline, said Tuesday that passengers showing flu-like symptoms will not be allowed on Qantas flights.

''We're in contact with relevant health authorities and complying with their advice,'' she told the Australian Associated Press. ''Basically, we don't carry customers who are suffering from an infectious disease.''