Health officials have detected a suspected case of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome in Wisconsin.
The person might have contracted the virus after visiting China in March, according to the Wisconsin Department of Public Health. However, the person made a full recovery and there is no chance of transmission, according to health officials.
Individuals with SARS are only contagious until 10 days after their fever and symptoms have subsided, according to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention. Symptoms include a fever greater than 100.4 degrees Fahrenheit, headaches, body aches, a dry cough and labored breathing. The disease is potentially fatal.
Wisconsin has set up a network of health-care providers constantly searching for illnesses in patients similar to SARS, according to the Wisconsin division of Public Health.
As of April 1, more than 70 cases of SARS had been reported in the United States. A total of 115 suspected cases were placed under investigation in 29 states as of Friday, with most states containing only one or two potential cases. California holds the most suspected cases with 30, and New York has the second most with 17. No one in the United States has died from the disease as of Saturday. SARS caused 89 deaths worldwide, approximately 4 percent of those infected, according to the World Health Organization.
Wisconsin health officials have sent laboratory specimens of suspected cases to the CDC for further analysis. The National Institute of Health announced Friday researchers are beginning to research a vaccine for the virus, but officials do not anticipate a vaccine until a year from now. The cause of the disease has not been determined.
The SARS virus has prompted UW-Stevens Point to cancel a student trip to China. A suburban Milwaukee high school has also canceled a trip to the Toronto International Music Festival. Seven deaths caused by the virus occurred in Canada out of 74 reported cases since November of 2002; 49 deaths are documented in China in addition to 1,220 reported cases as of Saturday.
