"New Form of Pneumonia" (March 15, 2003)  

By Jose Reyes               

         The U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC) has dispatched an urgent health alert to the United States concerning a new form of pneumonia. There has been 350 cases of  SARS ( Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome) reported and 5 have perished as of  today March 15 , 2003. There are another 150 people that are believed to be infected of this contagious pneumonia. It is not determined, as of now, weather the pneumonia is a virus or a form of bacteria. The CDC investigators have conducted all sorts of flu test and nothing is consistent. Symptoms are: high fever (More than 101F or 39.3 C),  coughing and difficulty breathing. The countries being affected are China, Hong Kong, Indonesia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam. One of the victims was an American businessman who was attending a conference in Vietnam. The nurse who treated him has also died of this killer pneumonia. In Toronto, Canada a woman died on March 5 and her old older son died on March 13 after arriving from a recent trip in Hong Kong. A doctor from Singapore, who was  in New York City for 3 days, with his wife and associate, seems to be infected also. He and 155 passengers were deplaned in Frankfurt, Germany and were quarantined. The doctor has been hospitalized with a respiratory illness in Frankfurt. Incubation (Amount of time it takes to develop in the body, before the person actually starts to get sick)  is 4 to 7 days. 

              Que Inteligente! How can this doctor actually board a commercial airplane and travel overseas knowing how contagious this pneumonia is? He recently treated 2 patients with this incurable sickness and knew of the 2 deaths in Vietnam. He attends a conference and stays in Manhattan for 3 days. Now, all New York hospitals are on high alert and he is quarantined  in Germany. We will know very soon how many people this irresponsible doctor has infected. Contagious diseases can spread much faster in an airplane through its ventilation. I figure his wife will be infected soon and probably his associate. In Frankfurt, after the passengers were checked out, 85 people and the plane's 20 member crew continued their flight to Singapore and will be quarantined on their arrival. The German nationalists were released and all the others traveling to destinations in Europe were waiting for permission to enter their respected countries. The illness was discovered in November of  last year.

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