Dozens struck down with 'unidentified' pneumonia in China

SARS fears in China as 27 patients are struck down with ‘unidentified’ type of pneumonia similar to the killer virus of the early 2000s

• Experts investigating mystery disease that has plagued 27 people in Wuhan city
• Officials fear outbreak is linked to deadly Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome
• In 2003, 775 people died from virus and China attempted to cover outbreak up

Almost 30 people have been struck down with an ‘unidentified’ form of pneumonia in China, sparking fears of another SARS epidemic. 

Seven patients in Wuhan, Hubei province, are fighting for their lives in hospital from the mysterious disease.  

Experts have been drafted in to investigate the cause of the disease, which officials fear is linked to Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS).

The highly contagious virus, a form of pneumonia, killed hundreds of people in China and Hong Kong in the early 2000s. No cases have been recorded in the world since 2004.

The Wuhan Wuhan Municipal Health Commission today issued an emergency alert about the cases, which have all occurred since the start of December. 

The organisation said hospitals across the city have treated a ‘successive series of patients with unexplained pneumonia’. 

A team of experts have been drafted in to investigate the ‘unidentified’ pneumonia that has plagued 27 people in Wuhan city, in Hubei province. Most patients worked at Wuhan’s Huanan seafood market (shown)

Of the people infected, seven are in critical condition, 18 are stable and two are on the verge of being discharged soon.

All of the patients have been isolated and their close contacts are under medical observation, the Wuhan Municipal Health Commission said.

An investigation and cleanup were under way at a seafood market in the city where most of the patients worked. 

It is suspected to be connected with the cases. Initial laboratory tests showed that the cases were viral pneumonia. 

No obvious human-to-human transmission had been found and no medical staff had been infected, the commission said.

Experts from the National Health Commission is to carry out further tests, in hope of finding a cause of the cases.

An unnamed hospital source told the official People’s Daily newspaper: ‘The cause of the disease is not clear.

‘We cannot confirm it is what’s being spread online, that it is SARS virus. Other severe pneumonia is more likely.’ 

Central Hospital in Wuhan, the central Chinese city where an ‘unknown pneumonia’ has left seven people fighting for their lives

An official at Wuhan Central Hospital, where local media said some of the cases are being treated, declined to comment when contacted by Reuters.

In 2003, Chinese officials covered up a SARS outbreak for weeks before a growing death toll and rumours forced the government to reveal the epidemic. 

The World Health Organization (WHO) criticised China for under reporting the number of SARS cases following the outbreak.

SARS, which emerged in southern China in late 2002, spread rapidly from south China to other cities and countries in 2003. More than 8,000 people were infected and 775 died. 

China sacked its then health minister Zhang Wenkang for the poor handling of the crisis in 2003, several months after the first case was reported.

WHO announced that China was free of the deadly SARS virus in May 2004.

Since 2004, there have not been any known cases of SARS reported anywhere in the world, the NHS says.

WHAT IS SARS?

Severe acute respiratory syndrome is caused by the SARS coronavirus, known as SARS CoV.

Coronaviruses commonly cause infections in both humans and animals. 

There have been two outbreaks, which resulted in a highly contagious and potentially life-threatening form of pneumonia. 

Both happened between 2002 and 2004. Since 2004, there have not been any known cases of SARS reported anywhere in the world.

The World Health Organization (WHO) continues to monitor countries throughout the world for any unusual disease activity.

Where did it originate?  

In China in 2002. It’s thought that a strain of the coronavirus usually only found in small mammals mutated, enabling it to infect humans.

The SARS infection quickly spread from China to other Asian countries. There were also a small number of cases in several other countries, including four in the UK, plus a significant outbreak in Toronto, Canada.

The SARS pandemic was eventually brought under control in July 2003, following a policy of isolating people suspected of having the condition and screening all passengers travelling by air from affected countries for signs of the infection.

During the period of infection, there were 8,098 reported cases of SARS and 775 deaths. This means the virus killed about one in 10 people who were infected.

People over the age of 65 were particularly at risk, with over half of those who died from the infection being in this age group.

In 2004 there was another smaller SARS outbreak linked to a medical laboratory in China.

It was thought to have been the result of someone coming into direct contact with a sample of the SARS virus, rather than being caused by animal-to-human or human-to-human transmission.

How does it spread? 

In small droplets of saliva coughed or sneezed into the air by an infected person. If someone else breathes in the droplets, they can become infected.

SARS can also be spread indirectly if an infected person touches surfaces such as door handles with unwashed hands. 

Someone who touches the same surface may also become infected. The virus may also be spread through an infected person’s faeces.

For example, if they do not wash their hands properly after going to the toilet, they may pass the infection on to others.

Symptoms of SARS

SARS has flu-like symptoms that usually begin two to seven days after infection. Sometimes, the time between coming into contact with the virus and the start of symptoms (incubation period) can be up to 10 days.

The symptoms of SARS include:

• a high temperature (fever)
• extreme tiredness (fatigue)
• headaches
• chills
• muscle pain
• loss of appetite
• diarrhoea

After these symptoms, the infection will begin to affect your lungs and airways (respiratory system), leading to additional symptoms, such as:

• a dry cough
• breathing difficulties
• an increasing lack of oxygen in the blood, which can be fatal in the most severe cases

Treatment for SARS

There’s currently no cure for SARS, but research to find a vaccine is ongoing.

A person suspected of having SARS should be admitted to hospital immediately and kept in isolation under close observation.

Treatment is mainly supportive, and may include:

• assisting with breathing using a ventilator to deliver oxygen
• antibiotics to treat bacteria that cause pneumonia
• antiviral medicines
• high doses of steroids to reduce swelling in the lungs

There’s not much scientific evidence to show that these treatments are effective. The antiviral medicine ribavirin is known to be ineffective at treating SARS.

Source: NHS 

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