*EPF116 04/28/2003
Vigilance, Early Detection Can Contain SARS, U.S. Officials Say
(Despite spread, most people need not worry about catching SARS) (800)

By Howard Cincotta
Washington File Special Correspondent

The United States is putting strong emphasis on early detection and containment within the healthcare system to combat the further spread of severe acute respiratory syndrome, or SARS, say U.S. officials who spoke on several Sunday news programs April 27.

"We need to stay vigilant here," said Dr. Julie Gerberding, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), appearing on Fox News Sunday with Tony Snow. "We haven't had the kind of long chains of transmission that we've seen in some other countries, but there's no reason why that couldn't happen here. So we are putting a high emphasis on early detection."

On CBS Face the Nation, Gerberding stressed the need to be vigilant but not overreact to the threat of SARS. "This isn't like influenza. If it was influenza, we would have it everywhere by now. We can contain this, but we've got to remain vigilant. And I think where we need to be concentrating our efforts is in the healthcare facilities and in the traveling arena, not generically not throughout the general public."

Gerberding said screening people at international points of departure is one method of ensuring that someone who is actually ill doesn't board a plane. The problem, however, is that most people who have been exposed to SARS are not actually sick at the time they travel, she pointed out, and will acquire the infection a week to 10 days later.

"That's why we have this health-alerting process," Gerberding said on Fox News Sunday, "where we advise incoming travelers from these regions to contact their health official if they have any symptom within 10 days of their arrival."

Gerberding said that the possibility of a situation in which it would be necessary to deny entry to passengers from another country was highly unlikely.

Appearing on ABC's This Week with George Stephanopoulos, Dr. Anthony Fauci, Director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease, said that the future spread of SARS is unpredictable. "I think that we would have to assume that we're going to have to be living with this, hopefully not in an escalating fashion," he commented.

If there is any good news about SARS, Fauci said, it is that the virus grows well in laboratory tissue cultures, which means scientists can immediately begin testing it with drugs that already exist. "We could get lucky in that," Fauci said. "If we do, wonderful. If not, then you have to target your drug development, which would take much longer."

The U.S. has been fortunate in having advance warning of the SARS outbreak, Fauci noted, which, together with effective public health measures, have meant no reported SARS deaths to date.

On CBS Face the Nation, Gerberding stressed that the CDC is coordinating efforts to find potential SARS cases as early as possible, to the point of including people who probably don't have SARS. "But we're erring on the side of identifying them and isolating that so there's not transmission," she said.

Both Gerberding and Fauci said that they felt travel to Toronto and Canada was safe, as the CDC has stated, provided travelers take normal, sensible precautions.

"We should not prevent people from going to Toronto," Fauci said. "Just tell them, stay heads up, monitor your health. Avoid places like hospitals where we know there's a greater chance of getting infected. So, obviously, I agree with the CDC's recommendation."

Gerberding noted that she planned to travel to Toronto next week. "The issue is not so much traveling to Canada, it's recognizing exposure and then not traveling if you've been exposed -- leaving the country."

She said the media have not exaggerated the SARS threat, but pointed out that some people were taking steps, such as wearing masks on the street, that are not an effective means of preventing the spread of the disease.

Asked how communicable the SARS virus is, Gerberding said on Fox News Sunday, "On average, it's not as communicable as, say, influenza, but we do see these situations where a particular person is especially efficient at transmitting it, and the combination of a person like that and unprotected health care workers can really initiate a cascade of spread."

Gerberding said on CBS Face the Nation that, even though SARS will continue to spread in some areas, most people don't have to worry about catching or transmitting SARS. "They should pay attention to the travel advisories and not go places that there's advice to suggest that you shouldn't go unless it's essential," she said. "They also should pay attention if they know anyone who has SARS."

(The Washington File is a product of the Office of International Information Programs, U.S. Department of State. Web site: http://usinfo.state.gov)

Return to Public File Main Page

Return to Public Table of Contents