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May 09, 2003

U.S. IMMUNIZATION NEWS

“SARS Exposes Gaps in Preparedness”

Wall Street Journal (www.wsj.com) (05/08/03); Lueck, Sarah; Middleton, Otesa

The General Accounting Office (GAO) reported Wednesday that while the United States' emergency preparedness has improved recently, more needs to be done.  “Most hospitals lack the capacity” to deal with a large outbreak of a disease like severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS), the GAO said at a hearing before a House panel, citing emergency-department crowding and shortages of personnel and medical equipment.  Further shortages in lab personnel have made studying SARS even more difficult, although data coming from China is hoped to reveal strategies on controlling its spread. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, there are 65 probable cases of SARS in the United States, with no deaths.

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