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May 16, 2003

INTERNATIONAL IMMUNIZATION NEWS

"SARS Virus Eluded Safeguards in Toronto Hospital Procedure"

Washington Post (www.washingtonpost.com) (05/16/03) P. A16; Stein, Rob

Health officials say the infection of nine Toronto hospital workers who caught the severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) from infected patients has offered new insight into how the disease spreads.  A report compiled by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) concluded that all of the caregivers may have contracted SARS from a single patient who coughed violently as doctors attempted to put a breathing tube down his throat.  The CDC said the coughing episode produced an aerosol laced with heavy concentrations of the virus that sprayed each of the man's health attendants.  The theory may explain why the hospital workers still came down with the deadly virus after having taken every precaution to prevent infection.  "We are still learning about what's working and what's not working for infection control," said CDC Director Julie L. Gerberding. "These experiences in Canada have taught us some lesson that we will transmit here in the United States."