March 2003[edit] Singapore[edit] On March 1, 26-year-old Esther Mok, another Metropole guest, was admitted to Tan Tock Seng Hospital after visiting Hong Kong, starting the outbreak in Singapore. Although she recovered, various family members did not.[9] Hong Kong[edit] On March 4, a 27-year-old man, who had visited a guest on the Metropole's 9th floor 11 days earlier, was admitted to Hong Kong's Prince of Wales Hospital. At least 99 hospital workers (including 17 medical students) were infected while treating him.[10] Thailand[edit] On March 11, Dr. Carlo Urbani travelled to Bangkok, Thailand to attend a medical conference. He fell ill during the flight and told a friend waiting at Bangkok not to touch him, to call an ambulance and take him to a hospital. He was isolated in an Intensive Care Unit. A similar outbreak of a mysterious respiratory infection was reported among Hong Kong healthcare workers. On March 12, WHO issued a global alert about a new infectious disease of unknown origin in both Vietnam and Hong Kong. On March 15, WHO issued a heightened global health alert about a mysterious pneumonia with a case definition of SARS after cases in Singapore and Canada were also identified. The alert included a rare emergency travel advisory to international travelers, healthcare professionals, and health authorities. The Center for Disease Control (CDC) issued a travel advisory stating that persons considering travel to the affected areas in Asia (Hong Kong, Singapore, Vietnam, and China) should not go. On March 17, an international network of 11 laboratories was established to determine the cause of SARS and develop potential treatments. The CDC held its first briefing on SARS and said that 14 suspected SARS cases were being investigated in the US. On March 20, WHO reported that several hospitals in Vietnam and Hong Kong were operating with half the usual staff because many workers stayed home out of fear of getting infected. WHO raised the concern that substandard care of the infected patients might contribute to the spread of the disease. On March 25, Hong Kong authorities stated that nine tourists had contracted the disease from a mainland Chinese man who had boarded the same plane on 15 March, Air China Flight 112 to Beijing.[11] SARS started to hit Amoy Gardens Block E heavily. The Singapore Government started to enforce compulsory quarantine of any infected person. On March 27, Arthur K. C. Li, head of the Hong Kong Education and Manpower Bureau, announced cancellation of all classes in educational institutions. The Ministry of Education of Singapore announced that all primary schools, secondary schools, and junior colleges were to be shut until April 6, 2003. Polytechnics and universities were not affected.[12] On March 29, Dr. Urbani died in Bangkok of a massive heart attack. On March 30, Hong Kong authorities quarantined estate E of the Amoy Gardens housing estate due to a massive (200+ cases) outbreak in the building. The balcony was completely closed and guarded by the police. The residents of the building were later transferred to the quarantined Lei Yue Mun Holiday Camp and Lady MacLehose Holiday Village on April 1 because the building was deemed a health hazard. Most of the cases were linked to apartments with a north-western orientation which shared the same sewage pipe. According to government officials, the virus was brought into the estate by an infected kidney patient (the type of kidney illness was not specified) after discharge from Prince of Wales Hospital, who visited his elder brother living on the seventh floor. Through excretion, the virus spread through drainage. One theory speculated that the virus was spread by airborne transmission, through dried up U-shaped P-traps in the drainage system which a maritime breeze blew into the estate's balconies and stairwell ventilation. It was confirmed that the virus spread via droplets, but this later outbreak made officials question the possibility that the virus could be spread through the air. April 2003[edit] On April 1, the U.S. government called back non-essential personnel in their consulate office in Hong Kong and Guangzhou. The US government also advised US citizens not to travel to the region. On April 2, Chinese medical officials began reporting the status of the SARS outbreak. China's southern Guangdong province reported 361 new infections and 9 new deaths, increasing the total Mainland China figures previously reported at end-February. The virus was also detected in Beijing and Shanghai. The WHO also advised travellers to avoid Hong Kong and Guangdong during a press briefing.[13] On April 3, a WHO team of international scientists landed in Guangzhou from Beijing to discuss with officials, but the team was yet to inspect any suspected origin or any medical facilities on the progress of infection control. Fifteen of the quarantined Amoy Gardens residents at Lei Yue Mun Holiday Camp were relocated to the Sai Kung Outdoor Recreation Centre after an overnight protest on washroom sharing. The first medical worker infected with SARS died in Hong Kong. The doctor's daughter and infected wife survived his illness, even though the wife was also among the quarantined medical workers under intensive care. Hong Kong school closures were extended by two weeks to April 21. On April 4, the WHO team inspected the first infection case in Foshan County. The male infected four people. But, he did not infect his family. A 40-year-old woman became the first local case in Shanghai. A Chinese health specialist admitted at a press conference of not informing the public early enough about the outbreak. The PRC Health Minister also claimed that the disease has been under control in most parts of mainland China. He also released the names of seven drugs which he claimed to be effective in curing SARS. WHO officials said that the information provided by the PRC about the disease has been "very detailed".[citation needed] US government enforced compulsory quarantine of an infected person. On April 5, the Singapore government announced that school closures would be extended. Junior colleges were to reopen on April 9, secondary schools would reopen on April 14 and primary schools and pre-schools would reopen on April 16.[14] On April 6, a SARS case was found in Manila, a person who had returned from Hong Kong. On April 8, SARS started to plague the Lower Ngau Tau Kok Estate near Amoy Gardens in Kowloon. Hong Kong health officials warned that SARS had spread so far domestically and abroad that it was here to stay. Nevertheless, WHO officials remained cautiously optimistic that the disease could still be contained.[15] On April 9, James Earl Salisbury died of SARS at a hospital in Hong Kong. An American Mormon[16] and a teacher at Shenzhen Polytechnic,[17] he had been sick for approximately one month before his death,[18] but he was originally diagnosed with pneumonia.[19] His son Michael "Mickey" Salisbury was with him in China and also contracted the disease, but he survived it.[20] Salisbury's death led to more open admissions by the Chinese government about the spread of SARS.[21] On April 10, Jim Hughes, the head of infectious disease at the CDC, confirming the warnings of Hong Kong health officials, claimed that he believed that SARS could no longer be eradicated in the Far East. However, he remained hopeful that it could be prevented from spreading widely in North America.[22] On April 11, the World Health Organization issued a global health alert for SARS as it became clear the disease was being spread by global air travel. On April 12, Marco Marra, director of the Michael Smith Genome Sciences Centre, which is part of the British Columbia Cancer Agency, announced that scientists at his centre had broken the genetic code of the virus suspected of causing the disease.[23] In Toronto, three more people died of SARS, bringing the Canadian death toll to 13. On April 16, the WHO issued a press release stating that the coronavirus identified by a number of laboratories was the official cause of SARS. The virus was officially named the SARS virus.[24] Doctors were surprised to discover the occurrence of at least two cases of SARS in Dinner, a village near Bangalore, India. Poor hygiene and a lack of adequate trash disposal seemed to have hastened the spread of the deadly disease Old News 30 Mar 2003 12:33PM Momentum crowd moves from foreign ISPs to SARS : As noted in the 12:02 comment, shares of ViroPharma (VPHM +49%) have exploded today as traders search for companies seen as funding candidates in the race to find a treatment for severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS). Shares of AVI BioPharma (AVII 3.05 +0.29, +10.5%) now attracting attention as well. Co unveiled itself as a SARS play on March 20 with an announcement that its 3rd-generation Antisense appears promising in bioterrorism and SARS settings. 1 Apr 2003 12:41PM Ribapharm follow-up (RNA) 5.25 +0.07: -- Update -- Hearing that it is the nebulized version of Ribavirin that is being reported as a treatment for SARS. Apparently, Ribapharm affiliate ICN Pharma (ICN +7%) holds the rights to this form of Ribavirin. R 2 Apr 2003 10:11AM Foreign Internet stocks lifted by SARS concerns : The foreign Internet group is on the move this morning as market looks for surge in Internet traffic as residents of SARS-impacted areas stay indoors. Names of interest include SINA +6.5%, SOHU +5.8%, NTES +5.3%, CHINA +4.5%. Thu 5:23pm SBUX Starbucks Reports Some Sales Declines In Asia From SARS - Dow Jones Business New Mon 11:56pm BA Singapore Air to Defer Placing New Orders Amid SARS, War - Dow Jones Business News Jun 30 2003 Mon 4:12am AMD [external] Asia markets rally in Q2 as SARS fades from view - at CBS MarketWatch Jun 25 2003 Wed 3:37pm AMD SARS' impact on U.S. companies - Reuters Fri 30 May 2003 Fri May 30 PFE [external] China Stockpiling Pfizer Drug for SARS Fight - at TheStreet.com Fri 11 July 2003 2:14PM Nine held in Texas on SARS concerns - MSNBC : MSNBC.com reports that 9 people connected to the military have been quarantined in Texas after some reported respiratory problems similar to SARS; a group of military personnel passed through the Toronto Airport recently, and some reported mild to moderate respiratory problems earlier this week after returning home; only one person in the group fits the definition of a suspected SARS case, and no one has been officially diagnosed with SARS or been hospitalized. 1 July 2003 Tue 10:33am PFE Multimedia Available: SARS Cure Underway - Business Wire