Please Scroll Down to See Forums Below 
.jpg "Research Chemical Sciences")
.png "Research Chemical Sciences")
p0ink
New member
Severe pneumonia hits Canada
By Wojtek Dabrowski
Mysterious pneumonia spreads
TORONTO (CP) — A severe form of pneumonia which is spreading through Asia has struck Canada, killing a mother and her son in Toronto and hospitalizing four other family members.
The disease, known as atypical pneumonia, has also emerged in British Columbia, where one was in intensive care at a Vancouver hospital and another person has recovered, Toronto health officials said late Friday night.
The West Coast cases are related to each other but are not connected to the Toronto cases, said officials.
One of the dead and two other family members had recently returned from Hong Kong, where atypical pneumonia has been spreading, said Dr. Karim Kurji of the Ontario Health Ministry.
Toronto Public Health said Sui-chu Kwan died March 5, and her son, Chi Kwai Tse, aged 44, died March 13.
Four other family members are in Toronto hospitals, officials said.
Four other members of the family who have not been diagnosed with the disease have been told “not to go out for the time being, waiting to see if they get any symptoms,” said Barbara Yaffe, associate officer of health with Toronto Public Health.
She also said it’s impossible to tell how many people have been exposed to the family members afflicted by the disease.
“Part of the reason we’re going public is to help identify contacts because for the first individual who died, there was a funeral and there was a visitation,” Yaffe said.
“We have been working with family members to identify who may have come and they don’t necessarily have a complete list and I understand there were quite a few people,” she said.
While health officials stopped short of directly linking travel to the affected regions of Asia with the disease, they did caution that it was one factor to consider.
In Vancouver, Dr. John Blatherwick, the chief medical officer at the Vancouver Coastal Health Authority, said all city hospitals had been put on alert.
“We’re spreading the word to the hospitals and telling doctors that if you see a person with an unusual pneumonia, ask them if they’ve been travelling in Asia,” Blatherwick told BCTV News on Global.
Another factor is exposure to the family of the dead.
“The public health system is following standard procedure to notify the public about the outbreak of a potential communicable disease,” Kurji said.
Ontario’s coroner was investigating one of the deaths and laboratory testing was being conducted at the provincial laboratory with additional specimens being sent to the federal laboratory in Winnipeg.
Health Canada was also notified.
Atypical pneumonia has been blamed for several deaths in Asia and caused fears of an epidemic in China in recent months.
The disease is an inflammation of the lungs caused by bacteria. It is known as “atypical” because of the symptoms that it causes, which include fever, headache, confusion and diarrhea. It can also cause a shortness of breath and muscular stiffness. Typical pneumonia, on the other hand, usually causes severe coughing and a fever.
Yaffe said that symptoms to watch out for when looking for atypical pneumonia are fever in excess of 38.5 C, muscle aches, a sore throat, coughing and any shortness of breath.
Both types of pneumonia can be treated with antibiotics.
The World Health Organization issued a global alert about the illness on Wednesday, saying that until more is known about the outbreaks, patients with atypical pneumonia who may be related to the outbreaks should be isolated.
“At the same time, WHO recommends that any suspect cases be reported to national health authorities,” the warning said.
Incidences of the disease have been reported in Hong Kong and Hanoi, Vietnam, where dozens of hospital employees have been afflicted. At least nine people in Singapore have also fallen ill.
An American businessman who lived in Shanghai died of the illness at a Hong Kong hospital on Thursday.
And in mid-February, the Chinese government reported that 305 cases of atypical pneumonia had killed five people in Guangdong province.
Since then, authorities in China have downplayed the outbreak, insisting that such illnesses are not uncommon in country’s southern region.
QUICKFACTS
Ontario Health officials say atypical pneumonia has stricken an Ontario family, killing two and sending four to Toronto hospitals. Two more people were in a Vancouver hospital, officials said. Some facts:
What it is: Inflammation of the lungs caused by bacteria.
Symptoms: Sudden fever, headache, confusion, diarrhea, cough, muscular stiffness, possibly rapid breathing or shortness of breath.
Symptoms of typical pneumonia: Cough, fever.
Caused by: Various bacteria, fungi; including legionnella pneumophile; spread by vapour or ventilation systems; chlamydia tsittaci; spread by live turkeys, parrots, pigeons.
Susceptible: The very old, very young, those with chronic disease and people with HIV.
Treatment: Most patients respond to antibiotics. Mild cases may not require medication.
By Wojtek Dabrowski
Mysterious pneumonia spreads
TORONTO (CP) — A severe form of pneumonia which is spreading through Asia has struck Canada, killing a mother and her son in Toronto and hospitalizing four other family members.
The disease, known as atypical pneumonia, has also emerged in British Columbia, where one was in intensive care at a Vancouver hospital and another person has recovered, Toronto health officials said late Friday night.
The West Coast cases are related to each other but are not connected to the Toronto cases, said officials.
One of the dead and two other family members had recently returned from Hong Kong, where atypical pneumonia has been spreading, said Dr. Karim Kurji of the Ontario Health Ministry.
Toronto Public Health said Sui-chu Kwan died March 5, and her son, Chi Kwai Tse, aged 44, died March 13.
Four other family members are in Toronto hospitals, officials said.
Four other members of the family who have not been diagnosed with the disease have been told “not to go out for the time being, waiting to see if they get any symptoms,” said Barbara Yaffe, associate officer of health with Toronto Public Health.
She also said it’s impossible to tell how many people have been exposed to the family members afflicted by the disease.
“Part of the reason we’re going public is to help identify contacts because for the first individual who died, there was a funeral and there was a visitation,” Yaffe said.
“We have been working with family members to identify who may have come and they don’t necessarily have a complete list and I understand there were quite a few people,” she said.
While health officials stopped short of directly linking travel to the affected regions of Asia with the disease, they did caution that it was one factor to consider.
In Vancouver, Dr. John Blatherwick, the chief medical officer at the Vancouver Coastal Health Authority, said all city hospitals had been put on alert.
“We’re spreading the word to the hospitals and telling doctors that if you see a person with an unusual pneumonia, ask them if they’ve been travelling in Asia,” Blatherwick told BCTV News on Global.
Another factor is exposure to the family of the dead.
“The public health system is following standard procedure to notify the public about the outbreak of a potential communicable disease,” Kurji said.
Ontario’s coroner was investigating one of the deaths and laboratory testing was being conducted at the provincial laboratory with additional specimens being sent to the federal laboratory in Winnipeg.
Health Canada was also notified.
Atypical pneumonia has been blamed for several deaths in Asia and caused fears of an epidemic in China in recent months.
The disease is an inflammation of the lungs caused by bacteria. It is known as “atypical” because of the symptoms that it causes, which include fever, headache, confusion and diarrhea. It can also cause a shortness of breath and muscular stiffness. Typical pneumonia, on the other hand, usually causes severe coughing and a fever.
Yaffe said that symptoms to watch out for when looking for atypical pneumonia are fever in excess of 38.5 C, muscle aches, a sore throat, coughing and any shortness of breath.
Both types of pneumonia can be treated with antibiotics.
The World Health Organization issued a global alert about the illness on Wednesday, saying that until more is known about the outbreaks, patients with atypical pneumonia who may be related to the outbreaks should be isolated.
“At the same time, WHO recommends that any suspect cases be reported to national health authorities,” the warning said.
Incidences of the disease have been reported in Hong Kong and Hanoi, Vietnam, where dozens of hospital employees have been afflicted. At least nine people in Singapore have also fallen ill.
An American businessman who lived in Shanghai died of the illness at a Hong Kong hospital on Thursday.
And in mid-February, the Chinese government reported that 305 cases of atypical pneumonia had killed five people in Guangdong province.
Since then, authorities in China have downplayed the outbreak, insisting that such illnesses are not uncommon in country’s southern region.
QUICKFACTS
Ontario Health officials say atypical pneumonia has stricken an Ontario family, killing two and sending four to Toronto hospitals. Two more people were in a Vancouver hospital, officials said. Some facts:
What it is: Inflammation of the lungs caused by bacteria.
Symptoms: Sudden fever, headache, confusion, diarrhea, cough, muscular stiffness, possibly rapid breathing or shortness of breath.
Symptoms of typical pneumonia: Cough, fever.
Caused by: Various bacteria, fungi; including legionnella pneumophile; spread by vapour or ventilation systems; chlamydia tsittaci; spread by live turkeys, parrots, pigeons.
Susceptible: The very old, very young, those with chronic disease and people with HIV.
Treatment: Most patients respond to antibiotics. Mild cases may not require medication.
