SARS has minor impact on upcoming exercises

  • Published
  • By 1st Lt. David Faggard
  • Pacific Air Forces Public Affairs
HICKAM AIR FORCE BASE, Hawaii (AFPN) --  With major combat operations for Operation Iraqi Freedom wrapping up, airmen are watching the news closely for a potential new enemy -- Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome.

Recent intense media coverage may make it seem as though the virus, known as SARS, is spreading uncontrollably. However, the total number of deaths from SARS is not as high as from more common diseases like influenza or pneumonia, said Lt. Col. Paul Rehme, chief of public health at the Pacific Air Forces Surgeon General's office.

Around 200 deaths around the world have been attributed to SARS, a relatively low figure compared to about 50,000 deaths just in the United States every year from pneumonia and flu, Rehme said.

The good news, according to Col. (Dr). Michael Lischak, chief of the office's aero-medical and dental division, is the impact of SARS on airmen will continue to be minor. Scheduled military exercises in the Pacific area will go on, he said.

"Upcoming exercises like Balikatan and Cobra Gold are still scheduled, but airmen should expect to see some additional screening when going into and leaving foreign countries," Lischak said. "The additional screening will most likely consist of a health questionnaire people will fill out."

The virus is accompanied by a fever greater than 100.5 degrees Fahrenheit, mild body aches, a cough and difficulty breathing, Lischak said.

The SARS virus, first diagnosed in China, is thought to be spread by close person-to-person contact or through objects that infected people may have recently come in contact with, Rehme said.

"SARS is most likely spread through droplets, or sputum, which people might transfer between each other or to objects after sneezing or coughing on their hands," said Rehme.

Diseases like SARS are not new, said Maj. Dan Shoor, resident of aerospace medicine at Brooks City-Base, Texas.

"This is not the first disease, nor will it be the last," Shoor said. "This is a new disease that we're learning to deal with; and it's quite amazing how far we've come."

"In the past 30 days or so, we've found the disease, ... genetically mapped it, created a laboratory test for its identification and are now trying to create a vaccine for it. This has never been done before so quickly," he said.

Lischak said there are some simple procedures to follow for people who are ill and think they possibly could have contracted SARS.

"The first thing people should understand is that they should avoid traveling to the countries reporting cases of active SARS transmission," he said. "Secondly, if you feel ill after going on a trip to one of these countries, contact your health-care provider and inform (him or her) of your travel history and symptoms.

"Typically, your health-care provider will want you to report to the emergency room where they can isolate and treat the symptoms if necessary," Lischak said. "While on a trip, avoid crowds, people who are coughing and sneezing, and wash your hands frequently."

Rehme said that no U.S. military members have been diagnosed with SARS.

"Our people are some of the healthiest people in the world, who have access to regular health-care providers and are all in a relatively narrow age group -- not the typical group of people SARS infects," Lischak said.