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New Suspect SARS Case in San Mateo County

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE June 5, 2003  San Mateo County Health Services Agency Contact: Beverly Thames, (650) 573-3935 NEW SUSPECT SARS CASE IN SAN MATEO COUNTY San Mateo, CA--One new suspect SARS case has been identified in San Mateo County. The patient, a 39-year-old male recently returned from Taiwan, is in isolation at a hospital in San Mateo County. The patient is under isolation orders issued by the Health Officer because the patient did not comply with previous voluntary isolation agreements. The patient is currently no longer symptomatic, and he will be kept isolated, according to Centers for Disease Control guidelines, for ten days after his last symptoms. To date, no cases in San Mateo County have turned out to be proven SARS cases, and in fact, no suspect cases in the country have been SARS. To contain the spread of a contagious illness, public health authorities rely on many strategies. Two of these strategies are isolation and quarantine. Both are common practices in public health and are used on a daily basis. Both aim to control exposure to infected or potentially infected individuals. Both may be undertaken voluntarily or compelled by public health authorities. The Health Department has contacted all individuals who were in close personal contact with the patient. Those who may have been exposed are being asked to monitor their symptoms by taking their temperature twice daily for ten days, and Health Department personnel are maintaining daily contact with them. If any of them develop a fever or cough, they have been instructed to contact their physician and the Health Department immediately. With the appropriate protective measures, the risk of transmission from patient to patient or healthcare workers to other patients is extremely low. The patient is in an isolation room with negative pressure and people entering the room wear personal protective equipment. The hospital has done an excellent job of briefing their employees on proper infection precautions to minimize the potential for transmission as outlined by the CDC. According to Dr. Scott Morrow, San Mateo County Health Officer, "I am very pleased that our system-private medical facilities, law enforcement, and the Health Department-is working in concert to protect and preserve the health of the community from emerging threats." ###