SARS advice mailed

University administrators and state health officials are trying to make sure Indiana residents stay calm as Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome spreads across the globe.\nOn April 8, the Indiana Health Department announced the first suspected SARS case in Indiana. The patient in question was admitted to Methodist Hospital in Indianapolis on Monday April 7. \nWhile the case is still being investigated, doctors and officials say that this patient is not a threat, and there is only a remote possibility that this person has SARS. \nMargaret Joseph of the Indiana Health Department says that doctors are almost certain that the individual does not have SARS. However, the hospital is still waiting for confirmation from the national Centers for Disease Control.\n"We have noted that this individual became ill after arriving in the U.S. and was exposed to two individuals in the home who were already ill with an upper respiratory infection," State Health Commissioner Dr. Wilson said in a press release. "This makes it less likely that this individual actually has SARS, but there is still a slight chance."\nOn Wednesday, scientists identified the virus that causes SARS. In experiments conducted at Erasmus University in Rotterdam, Netherlands, scientists infected monkeys with the virus suspected of causing SARS and found that the animals developed the same symptoms of the disease that humans do. This is an important step toward developing new drugs to combat the disease. \nThere are currently 199 suspected SARS cases under investigation in the United States, and approximately 3,300 cases have been reported worldwide. So far the disease has caused 159 deaths, none of which have been in the United States. \nChancellor Sharon Brehm, in conjunction with IU Health Center officials, sent an e-mail to IUB students and faculty today in order to update the student body.\n"The e-mail attachments contain the most current SARS information," said Dr. Hugh Jessup of the IU Health Center. \nAdministrators are now recommending that IU students or faculty who are currently traveling in mainland China, Hong Kong, Vietnam and Singapore return home, as the disease is escalating in these countries. IU summer study-abroad programs in these countries are also pending cancellation.\nJessup wants to make sure everyone on the Bloomington campus knows that the Health Center is prepared, should a suspected SARS case be reported in Bloomington. \nThe IU Health Center is equipped with "negative pressure" rooms in order to effectively quarantine patients if needed, Jessup said. These rooms have lower air pressure and special filters so that air in the room is not circulated through the building.\nJessup said anyone with a suspected case of SARS will be quarantined immediately. "We are erring on the side of being conservative," Jessup said. "We are on the alert and making sure everyone pays attention and asks patients the right questions."\nSARS symptoms include a fever (100.5 degrees F or higher) and respiratory symptoms such as shortness of breath or difficulty breathing. One must also have recently (within 10 days of the onset of symptoms) traveled to countries where the illness has been found or have direct contact with those who have traveled. These countries are China (mainland and Hong Kong); Hanoi, Vietnam; and Singapore. \nAll U.S. patients who have been diagnosed with SARS were exposed either through travel to these countries or close contact with SARS patients. \nThose who develop SARS symptoms should avoid contact with others and seek immediate medical attention. \nMore information on SARS can be found at the Centers for Disease Control Web site: www.cdc.gov \nThe Associated Press contributed to this article.