Ontario Scrambles to Contain SARS

[Guest terry jackon1]

Ontario Scrambles to Contain SARS

 

Canadian health officials, in an attempt to put a lid on the spread of a mysterious lung illness, have closed two hospitals in the Toronto area to new patients and said all health-care workers should be issued protective gear.

 

Ontario's public health commissioner, Dr. Colin D'Cuhna, said the province was trying to put "a ring around" the hospitals at risk, according to the Canadian Broadcasting Corp.

 

The province is trying to quell an outbreak of a flu-like disease called severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS), which began in China and has spread to other regions with the help of air travel.

 

Anyone who has worked at the two hospitals since March 16 has been asked to quarantine themselves, according to the Canadian Press. The hospitals, Scarborough Grace and York Central Regional, have forbidden nonessential visitors. Other hospitals in the Toronto area, meanwhile, have put off elective surgeries.

 

Dr. James Young, Ontario's commissioner of public safety, said all health-care workers should wear full protective clothing, according to the CBC. That includes masks, gloves, eyewear, and gowns, he said.

 

SARS has killed three people in Canada and sickened 37 others. According to the World Heath Organization, the disease has killed 37 people worldwide, and another 1,550 people have fallen ill. The U.S. has had 62 cases and no deaths.