Fears over athletes from risk countries

SEVERE Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) has killed more than 250 people worldwide and infected almost 4,000.

However some perspective is needed.

At present, the mortality rate is approximately 5.9% - nearly six cases in 100 are fatal.

There is concern about athletes travelling to Ireland from infected countries for the Special Olympics in June. The numbers travelling from these countries are small:

* China 115.

* Canada 75.

* Hong Kong 54.

* Singapore 57.

* Vietnam 0.

At present there are no plans to ban athletes from these infected countries from travelling to Ireland for the Special Olympics. The SARS Expert Group, set up by the Department of Health, and chaired by the Jim Kiely Chief Medical Officer, will meet today to discuss what procedures need to be put in place to handle the athletes coming for the Special Olympics.

The first reports of SARS followed the death of a US businessman in a Hong Kong hospital in mid-March. The man had visited China and Vietnam.

However, the virus is believed to have originated in China’s southern Guangdong province in November and was spread around the world by air travellers in February.

Experts believe that after infection with SARS the incubation period can be up to 10 days. Symptoms are similar to those of flu, including high fever, headache, sore throat and cough.

There is no vaccine for the disease.

There is also no specific antiviral treatment designed to treat SARS.

However, a cocktail of antivirals and antibiotics appears to be beneficial if treatment is started early.

In some cases of SARS pneumonia has developed with patients finding it very hard to breathe.

Scientists now believe they have confirmed the culprit.

The scientists, from the US Centres for Disease Control, believe it is corona virus - a family of viruses well known as a cause of the common cold.

The WHO believes this is a new strain which has mutated to become more dangerous to humans.

Health officials have become concerned about a jump in the number of young people infected. Many of the deaths have been among the elderly, but fatalities have also included 37-year-old man in Hong Kong and two people in their mid-50s.

* Useful websites include www.who.int and www.ndsc.ie (although this has not been updated since Irish public health doctors went on strike on April 11).