Wednesday, September 10, 2003, 15:30 EDT (03:30 PM EDT)
CDCHAN-00153-03-09-10-UPD-N
Singapore Reports "New Probable Case" of SARS
CDC Offers Assistance with Additional Testing
On September 9, 2003, the Singapore Ministry of Health reported what health officials there are calling "a new probable case" of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) in Singapore on the basis of preliminary laboratory test results. Confirmatory laboratory testing is pending.
The patient is a 27-year-old man who had worked in two different laboratories in Singapore. He developed a fever on August 26 and received medical attention on August 27, 29, and September 1. He was admitted to a Singapore hospital on September 3 with fever, muscles aches, and joint pains. He later developed a dry cough; chest x-rays have been normal. On September 8, PCR and serologic testing in Singapore showed evidence of infection with SARS-associated coronavirus (SARS-CoV), and the patient was transferred to another hospital. Repeat PCR tests performed in another laboratory in Singapore were also positive for SARS-CoV.
The patient has no history of travel to other previously SARS-affected areas and no history of contact with SARS patients. The patient has been in isolation since being admitted to the hospital and is doing well. Contacts of the patient have been identified and placed in quarantine; none are ill. Hospital staff on affected wards are using protective gear and are being monitored for signs and symptoms of illness (e.g., temperature surveillance). The World Health Organization (WHO) has been notified of the case. According to a statement on the WHO SARS Web site, The Singapore case is mild, isolated, and has not produced secondary cases, and therefore is not regarded as a public health concern.
Investigations are under way to confirm SARS-CoV infection and determine possible exposures of the patient. CDC has offered assistance and expects to receive specimens for testing. CDC will continue to work with Singapore Ministry of Health officials to monitor the situation.
For
additional information, see the press release
issued by the Singapore Ministry of
Health on September 9, 2003.
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