Possible SARS Victim Is ‘Doing Fine’

Ventura County public health officials are investigating a second possible case of severe acute respiratory syndrome, or SARS, that has killed dozens worldwide.

An unidentified man in his 40s was hospitalized last week after complaining of the flu-like symptoms associated with the disease, said Marilyn Billimek, a county public health nurse. The man had recently returned from a trip to Singapore, one of the Asian countries where the disease first appeared.

“They put a mask on him and shuffled him into an isolation room,” where doctors ran tests and monitored him, Billimek said. The man remained in his hospital room for about five days and is now isolated in his house, she said.

“He’s doing fine,” Billimek said. “We’re still running tests and ruling out whatever else he may have had.”

There is no definitive diagnostic test for SARS because scientists don’t know what causes it. The man’s symptoms and recent travels led health officials to conclude that he likely contracted the disease, Billimek said.

SARS symptoms include fatigue, a temperature of more than 100.5 degrees, coughing, difficulty breathing and an abnormal chest X-ray. The illness is suspected only in people who have traveled recently to a country where SARS has been reported or who have been in close contact with someone who has.

Although the man’s illness came to light less than a week since Ventura County officials announced that a woman in her 60s was suspected of having SARS, Billimek said the cases seem to be contained. The female patient, though she remains isolated, has returned home and is feeling better, she said.

The patients will be able to leave their homes 10 days after their symptoms completely disappear.

More than 30 cases of the mysterious pneumonia-like disease have been reported in California. No one in the U.S. has died from the disease, which has killed an estimated 106 people worldwide.

People who suspect they may have contracted SARS should call their physician, Billimek said. Before going to the emergency room, an infected person should call ahead so that preparations can be made for arrival and for preventing the further spread of the illness, she said.