Three Jasper County residents quarantined on suspicion of SARS

JOPLIN, Mo. -- Health officials are investigating three new suspected cases of SARS in southwest Missouri, the first in the state in more than two months.

The three individuals in Jasper County have voluntarily isolated themselves in their homes while follow-up tests are performed to confirm or deny that their illnesses are SARS. Two of the cases emerged early last week, with the third appearing Friday.

One of the individuals in the initial case, which was reported May 30, spent about two days in the hospital, Jasper County Health Department director Tony Moehr said.

Moehr said the initial two cases were individuals living in the same house. The third person had close contact with one of the original two.

Moehr would not reveal any other identifying information, other than to say the people were not from Joplin, a city of about 45,000 people and home to about 39 percent of the county's population.

The three individuals bring Missouri's suspected case total to four. A St. Louis area resident is also awaiting test results.

The blood tests, which are sent to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta, Ga., require at least 22 days before they can be determined as positive or negative. However, results can take longer because of the volume of testing at the CDC.

To be characterized as a suspected case, an individual must have a fever of 100.4 degrees or higher and a mild to severe respiratory illness -- symptoms Moehr said are common with many diseases, including the common cold. But the individual must also have traveled or had close contact with a person who had traveled within the last 10 days to one of five areas where SARS has been found: Toronto, Hong Kong, Singapore, Taiwan or mainland China.

Contact with Toronto

"That travel aspect really is the key," Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services spokesman Brian Quinn said.

The initial suspected case in Jasper County came into contact with an individual who was ill and who had been in Toronto, Moehr said. It was uncertain whether the individual in Toronto had SARS or another illness, Moehr said.

Officials have treated the cases as though they were SARS, he said.

"Even if it turns out to be SARS, I don't think it's something that should have a tremendous impact on the community," Moehr said.

Missouri has had a total of five suspected SARS cases. A southwest Missouri resident had been a suspected case, but blood tests revealed no signs of a coronavirus experts have associated with SARS, Quinn said. The state has had no cases classified as "probable" and no confirmed cases.

"The cases in Missouri have been mild cases," Quinn said. "They haven't gone into full pneumonia. They've fully recovered" with no further problems at all.

Quinn said that Missourians should not panic, although they should be sensitive to the disease's presence and aware of their own health. Anyone who has traveled to the "target areas" or has had close contact with someone who has traveled should be particularly aware of their condition, Quinn said.

At least 8,300 people worldwide have been sickened by the disease since November and 785 have died. Moehr said the disease is spread through close contact and is not airborne. As with any disease, Moehr said proper hygiene -- particularly regular hand-washing -- can help stop the spread of SARS.