CDC Issues Health Alert Notice for Travelers to USA from Hon
by: Lynn Bode
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on Saturday began distributing cards at airports receiving flights returning directly from Hong Kong warning travelers returning to the United States from Hong Kong and Guangdong Province, People's Republic of China and Hanoi, Vietnam that they may have been exposed to cases of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS).
The cards are being handed out by quarantine officials at Chicago, O'Hare International Airport; Los Angeles; New York City, JFK International Airport; Newark; and San Francisco. These airports are the only U.S. airports receiving direct flights from Hong Kong. No U.S. airports receive direct flights from Hanoi or the Guangdong Province. CDC officials expect to expand the distribution of cards to Anchorage, Alaska and the territory of Guam later today.
The travel cards warn those returning from the three areas that they should monitor their health for at least seven days. They are also advised to contact their physicians if they become ill with a fever accompanied by a cough or difficulty in breathing.
The cards also offer guidance designed to assist physicians in making a diagnosis by advising travelers to tell their physicians about recent travel to the affected regions, and whether they have been in contact with individuals who displayed symptoms of SARS.
As of March 15, 2003, the CDC had received reports of SARS cases in Hong Kong and Guangdong Province, People's Republic of China; Hanoi, Vietnam and Canada, Singapore and Thailand. For that reason the World Health Organization has issued emergency guidance for travelers and airlines so that persons displaying symptoms of the illness can receive immediate health care and can be brought to the attention of public health authorities. These individuals are also advised against traveling while ill.
The CDC advises physicians and other clinicians to be alert for travelers who:
Have a fever of 100.4 degrees Fahrenheit or higher;
One or more symptoms of respiratory illness including cough, shortness of breath, difficulty in breathing, hypoxia (deficiency in the amount of oxygen reaching tissues of the body), X-rays indicating the presence of pneumonia, or respiratory distress; AND
One or more of the following:
History of travel to Hong Kong or Guangdong Province, People's Republic of China, or Hanoi, Vietnam within seven days of symptom onset;
Close contact with persons with respiratory illness having the described travel history. Close contact includes having cared for, lived with, or had direct contact with respiratory secretions and body fluids of a person with SARS.
Additionally, airlines should:
Alert the destination airport of any passengers meeting the case definition criteria;
Arriving passengers who are symptomatic should be referred to health authorities for assessment and care;
Aircraft passengers and crew should be informed of the person's status as a suspect case of SARS;
The passengers and crew should provide all contact information for how passengers can be reached for the subsequent 14 days to airport health authorities.
CDC advises that persons planning elective or nonessential travel to Hong Kong and Guangdong Province, People's Republic of China and Hanoi, Vietnam may wish to postpone their trips until further notice. Detailed information can be found on CDC's Traveler's Health Website at http://www.cdc.gov/travel/.
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CDC Reinstates Travel Alert for Toronto
by: Lynn Bode
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has reinstated a travel alert for Toronto, Canada, because of reports of new possible cases of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS).
CDC lifted the travel alert on May 20, 2003, because more than 30 days (or three SARS incubation periods) had elapsed since the date of onset of symptoms for the last reported case. However, on May 22, Canadian health officials reported a cluster of five new probable SARS cases, which led to today's reinstatement of CDC's travel alert for Toronto.
In response to the outbreak of SARS, CDC has issued two types of notices to travelers: advisories and alerts. A travel advisory recommends that non-essential travel to an area be postponed. A travel alert does not advise against travel to a particular area, but informs travelers of a health concern and provides advice about precautions they can take to reduce their risk of exposure.
CDC is again recommending that U.S. travelers to Toronto take precautions to safeguard their health. These include avoiding settings where there has been evidence of transmission of SARS, such as health care settings. CDC does not recommend the routine use of masks or other personal protective equipment while in public areas.
Global Migration and Quarantine officials from CDC will again be distributing health alert cards to travelers returning to the United States from Toronto. The cards outline the symptoms of SARS and recommend that people returning from Toronto monitor their health for 10 days and alert their physician if they develop a fever or respiratory symptoms, such as a cough or shortness of breath.
CDC also recommends that travelers to Toronto practice careful hand hygiene - a first line of defense for reducing an individual's risk of a variety of infectious diseases, such as SARS. As a general rule, CDC recommends frequent hand washing with soap and water. If hands are not visibly soiled, alcohol-based hand rubs may be used as an alternative.
Anyone planning travel to Toronto should be aware of the current SARS outbreak, stay informed daily about SARS through various Websites, including www.cdc.gov/ncidod/sars/ and www.who.int, and closely follow recommended travel advisories and infection control guidance at www.cdc.gov/ncidod/sars/ic.htm.
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