news release
ANDREW J. SPANO, Westchester County Executive JOSHUA LIPSMAN, M.D., M.P.H., Commissioner of Health SUSAN TOLCHIN, Director of Communications

CONTACT: MARY LANDRIGAN (914) 813-5013

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE July 8, 2003

THIRD CASE OF POSSIBLE SARS REPORTED IN WESTCHESTER COUNTY

No specific actions need be taken by the public

The Westchester County Department of Health today announced that a third suspect case of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) has been identified in a Westchester resident. A 42 year-old woman, who had traveled to Toronto, Canada earlier this month, developed fever, cough and respiratory symptoms – symptoms that are consistent with SARS – on July 5. She sought medical treatment at a local hospital.

The Health Department has conferred with CDC and the New York State Health Department who consider the woman’s illness to be consistent with a suspect case of SARS. The Health Department is in the process of identifying close personal contacts and other possible contacts for monitoring purposes.

“Although there is no definitive test for the disease, the CDC has developed guidelines under which SARS cases are classified. These CDC guidelines state that any person with a fever, cough, respiratory symptoms and travel history to places within 10 days where there is SARS transmission is to be considered a ‘possible case of SARS’,” said Dr. Joshua Lipsman, Commissioner of Health for Westchester County . “Any case that meets this case definition is being treated as a case of SARS as a precaution. Anyone who has an appropriate travel history and experiences symptoms consistent with SARS should contact a health care provider.”

The Health Department has been working diligently to avert the possibility of a SARS outbreak in Westchester County, or, in the event of an outbreak, to respond to it. The key components of the Health Department’s program in response to SARS are education, monitoring, and control.

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Third suspect SARS case P.2

EDUCATION

Updated information about SARS and its prevention is being made available to the public through fact sheets and through the Health Department website, www.westchestergov.com/health.  Up-to-the-minute

information for physicians is provided through Public Health Updates that are being faxed as information becomes available to emergency room physicians, infection control nurses, laboratories, and large group physician practices.  Through the Physician's Corner on the department's website, physicians can receive the latest updates on SARS and link to other national and state resources with information on the topic. 

MONITORING

A new computerized system developed by the county health department specifically to respond to emerging public health threats receives and analyzes data from hospital emergency rooms on a daily basis and

triggers alerts when unusual levels or clusters of illness are identified.  Health Department staff then follow up on any unusual findings. More than 60% of Westchester hospitals participate in this monitoring program. In addition, health department staff are in daily communication with hospital emergency room staff to ensure early identification of persons who may have certain types of illnesses, including respiratory diseases.

CONTROL AND RESPONSE

The health department is taking the following control measures to prevent an outbreak of SARS in our area:

• A health advisory for arriving travelers is currently being distributed to all airline passengers at the County Airport.
• The County’s outbound emergency calling system is being placed into a state of readiness to make phone calls relaying pertinent SARS information.
• Libraries, senior centers, parks, schools and other community groups are being contacted to assist the County in getting SARS information out to the public and are being provided with fact sheets about SARS.
• Plans are being made to staff a SARS Hotline in the event the need for such a service arises.

For more information, visit the Health Department’s website at www.westchestergov.com/health or call the Health Department at (914) 813-5000.

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Third suspect SARS case P.3

Until an effective treatment is established for SARS, the control of SARS depends on traditional public health measures. Residents who are experiencing symptoms and have a travel history to countries reporting SARS should contact their physicians. Physicians should notify the Westchester County Department of Health

regarding any patients whom they suspect of having SARS. Fit-tested respirators have been recommended by the State Health Department for emergency and health care workers who may come in contact with patients at risk for SARS. The Department of Emergency Services and the Department of Health are working together

with dispatchers, emergency medical services and hospitals to ensure that appropriate infection control measures are taken. 

“The Health Department’s disease surveillance and monitoring capability has been dramatically expanded in recent years through enhancements to electronic data management and improved communications

to and with health care providers throughout the public health system,” said Dr. Lipsman. “Given our extensive experience in responding to emerging diseases such as West Nile Virus, we are prepared to conduct aggressive and effective control measures with regards to SARS, should the need arise,” he added.

SARS is a newly emerging respiratory illness characterized by a fever of 100.4 F or higher, respiratory symptoms, and recent travel to Hong Kong; mainland China; and Toronto, or close contact with a person with SARS.  An estimated 9.6% of people with SARS die.  There is no effective medication to treat the disease.  To date, over 8,400 cases have been reported globally, with the majority occurring in several eastern countries and Canada. 

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