Southeast Kansan hospitalized with suspected mystery illness

? The world’s latest mysterious, deadly illness is suspected of striking a man in Kansas, showing again how rapidly diseases can circle the globe.

The cause of the illness known as severe acute respiratory syndrome, or SARS, remains unknown, but experts believe the most likely explanation is a new virus. There is no known treatment.

Worldwide, there are 306 people sick with the disease, according to the World Health Organization. The vast majority of the victims are in Asia, and about half of them are in Hong Kong. There are 13 suspected cases in the United States, including the Kansas case reported Thursday.

“Lots of people are working on this,” said John “Jack” Brown, a Kansas University professor of molecular biosciences and author of a book about germs titled “Don’t Touch That Doorknob! How germs can zap you and how you can zap back.” “One good thing about the World Health Organization, this kind of information immediately gets sent to lots of different places, and lots of people are working on it.”

The Kansas case involves a man in the south-central part of the state who recently traveled to Asia.

The man is being treated at Via Christi St. Francis in Wichita, said Pat MacDonald, a spokesman for the Sedgwick County Health Department. A hospital spokesman said Thursday night the man was in isolation and listed in fair condition. Officials would not release his identity.

Specimens have been sent to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for tests, which may take days to complete.

“We are monitoring this situation closely and continually working with health care providers to help them identify potential cases and limit exposure,” said Gail Hansen, Deputy State Epidemiologist at the Kansas Department of Health and Environment.

There is no specific treatment for SARS, which has in some cases progressed rapidly and become fatal. To date, nine deaths have been reported.

The CDC issued a public health advisory over the weekend for the recent outbreak of SARS in several countries. KDHE alerted all health departments in Kansas and provided guidance for identifying suspect cases.

Anyone who experienced an unexplained severe respiratory illness on or after Feb. 1 and who has the following symptoms should seek medical attention and inform their health care provider of a possible exposure to SARS:

  • Fever (100.4 F or higher) and cough, shortness of breath or difficulty breathing, abnormal chest X-ray, and recent travel to countries where illness has been found. That includes China (Guandong Province and Hong Kong, Special Administrative Region of China), Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam, Germany, Switzerland and Canada, or
  • Close contact with a person suspected of having SARS.

Brown said Asia is a common place for viruses to mutate and jump back and forth between humans and animals.

“The nearness of individuals to animals is one issue that is important,” he said. “We used to be that way in this nation years ago, but that is still the case in the Far East.”

Additional information on SARS can be found at www.cdc.gov. Travel advisories and total case information is available at www.who.int/csr/sars/en.