Second hospital closed in Toronto area due to mystery illness

[MORTARDUDE]

Second hospital closed in Toronto area due to mystery illness
Sat Mar 29, 4:59 PM ET


TORONTO - Health officials closed a second Toronto-area hospital to new patients and said Saturday the number of probable or suspected cases of a flu-like mystery illness from Asia continued to increase.



Severe acute respiratory syndrome, or SARS, has killed three people in Canada and caused authorities to advise thousands of people in Toronto, the largest city, to quarantine themselves at home for 10 days ? the infectious period of the illness.


All hospital workers in the Toronto area have been ordered to wear masks, gloves, gowns and protective eyewear to prevent infection from the highly contagious virus.


Two hospitals that treated victims of the illness have been shut to the public, and the government said it would begin screening travelers flying out of the city for symptoms.


Despite the dozens of probable and suspected cases, authorities said none of the present cases were in critical condition.


"The two patients I was concerned about last week have been improving over the last few days (and) didn't require ventilatory support," said Dr. Don Low, the chief microbiologist at Mount Sinai Hospital.


Most cases involve health care workers at Scarborough Grace Hospital and York Central Hospital who became infected while treating initial victims, all of whom had traveled in Asia or had close contact with other victims.


"What we're seeing in the last week is mostly health care workers that are young, healthy people and we have to realize if we start to see individuals and families that are older, that they are more susceptible to a worse outcome," Low said.


Frank Lussing, president and chief executive of York Central, said anyone who has worked there since March 16 has been asked to stay home for 10 days. The hospital has a staff of 1,800 workers.


The quarantine advisory extends to those in close contact with the hospital workers.


Dr. Hanif Kassam, a medical officer of health for York Region in north Toronto, said the number of probable and suspect cases there exceeds 20.


"It is very likely that we will continue to see an increase in the number of cases, and that whatever steps are taken, there will be a certain time period before we start seeing a reduction," he said.


Most of Canada's SARS cases are in Toronto, which has large Asian immigrant communities. Other cases have been reported in Vancouver, British Columbia, and Winnipeg, Manitoba.


Canada's government has strengthened a travel advisory regarding SARS, saying people going abroad should avoid even passing through Asian countries where the illness has been detected.