- WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President
Bush issued an executive order on
- Friday allowing the forced quarantine of patients with
a mysterious new
- illness that has killed 80 people, as well as patients
with other
- diseases such as Ebola.
-
- The order allows the Health and Human Services secretary
to decide when
- such a quarantine is needed.
-
- It calls for the "apprehension, detention or conditional
release of
- individuals to prevent the introduction, transmission
or spread of
- suspected communicable diseases."
-
- It names Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome, which has
affected a
- suspected 115 people in the United States and 2,400 worldwide,
killing
- around 80.
-
- The order also names cholera, diphtheria, infectious
tuberculosis,
- plague, smallpox, yellow fever and viral hemorrhagic
fevers such as
- Ebola, Lassa and Marburg.
-
-
- Comment
-
- From Patricia Doyle, PhD
- dr_p_doyle@hotmail.com
- 4-4-3
-
- Hello, Jeff - I just heard that a 78 year old was diagnosed
with SARS and is the first case in Westchester. The patient reported to
a local Westchester hospital. The news report did not elaborate only stating
that the patient was seen at the local hospital and released. Is it wise
to release a 78 year old with SARS? Sounds like the hospital could not
safely treat SARS.
- BTW 78 is unusual. The median age is 51. I believe
that the pathogen has been programmed to attack young healthy individuals,
of military age. Just another "sign" to me that the pathogen
is manmade. It is odd that the very young and the elderly and/or infirmed
are not comming down with the virus.
-
- President Bush has signed an executive order regarding
quarantine of SARS, Suspected SARS cases and their contacts. I cannot
help but wonder what would happen in New York City if a number of people
come down with the illness and are turned away from hospitals. I imagine
that we shall see a mass exodus heading North, or West. The Guard and
military are overseas, so how would these folks be stopped? SARS could
turn out to be a mechanism for civil unrest. People tend to get scared
and panic when they know that they cannot get any treatment or hospitalization
should they take ill. IF they begin to see cases and suspect the disease
is emerging rapidly in the city, they will flee taking the illness with
them. The City should have been prepared with isocenter facilities. Where
is the homeland security money? Tom Ridge has been very quiet about SARS.
Guess they will take us all and duct tape us to a chair at a plastic sheeted
tent in a quarantine camp!!! grins!
-
- Just read a post about West Nile and neurological symptoms.
They are telling people to watch for neurological symptoms as it might
be WNV. We know, as I predicted years ago, that the virus is established
in Central America and probably most of South America now. It will be
spreading rapidly as the birds return and the mosquitos wake up. I think
that the Pacific will get hit as well as the North East.
-
- Patty
-
-
- Patricia A. Doyle, PhD
- Please visit my "Emerging Diseases" message
board at:
- http://www.clickitnews.com/emergingdiseases/index.shtml
- Zhan le Devlesa tai sastimasa
- Go with God and in Good Health
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