Hospital quarentined in Toronto

This is a horrible event that is currently going on in Toronto. Please pray that this doesn't spread to wildly as it can be deadly. I have pulled this report from cp24.com

If youâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]ve been to Scarborough Grace Hospital since March 16th, consider yourself under a voluntary quarantine. Thatâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]s the order from Ontario health officials who have completely closed down the facility after an outbreak of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome. They want anyone who visited the hospital to stay home for at least 10 days, and get heir family members to wear masks whenever theyâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]re around them.

The order potentially affects thousands of people in the G.T.A. – a fact not lost on those making the request. “We realize this is a substantial amount of people, we're talking about over a thousand we expect, this number will be in the thousands,†admits Toronto Medical Office of Health Dr. Sheela Basrur. “This is an incident of unprecedented scope and magnitude.â€

The order followed a bizarre incident at the hospital on Wednesday, when police cruisers blocked entrances, as 42 Division officers unfurled yellow tape across the grounds. An official explained the precautions were simply being taken to facilitate the landing of helicopter containing an infectious disease specialist. Patients currently inside will still be treated, but only essential personnel are being allowed in – and all are wearing masks – including the police.



S.A.R.S. has claimed three lives in the G.T.A., at least two of them at Scarborough Grace. Fourteen nurses are suspected as being probable cases, and are being monitored elsewhere. It's believed they came into contact with patients suffering from the pneumonia-like illness. It's highly contagious, and it's believed hospital staff weren't aware of their exposure until it was too late. At least 25 others in Toronto are believed to have the bug.
The order comes just hours after Health Minister Tony Clement declared a health emergency over the illness in the province.

Have you been there? I hope not or any your family! Pray's if you have!

that flu is getting around. we have cases in wisconsin too.

This is terrible news. In addition to the many world wide papers Gary tracks each day, he monitors world-wide infectious diseases at a site called www.promedmail.org. It's really scary. Over 740 in Malaysia are quarantined now.
304 in Beijing, 792 cases in Ghanzou province - 34 dead in Guongdon (sp?)... and that's just the start of the list.

It's bad, it's vicious, and it's spreading.

I say prayers for us all now.

Oh goodness Ady- this is so worrisome and scary. I had heard it is in the United States now, but not Canada- if it is the same thing that they are fighting overseas..

It is, Mary Anne. China is unwilling to "admit" it is the same thing, and continues to call it an unknown pneumonia. Scientists now think it is a virulant variant of the common cold. There are many travel advisories out because of this rapidly spreading airborne illness.

The CDC has all 18 scientists out in the field, and China won't let WHO scientists in (The World Health Organization). (Hanoi is where this appears to have started, although the second strain appears to have started in China at about the same time. The only way this could really happen is if it was a biologic created gone awry (spelling)). However, the head of Johns Hopkins Epidemeology (who moderates this discussion of scientists at Promed) says that it does not appear to be a man-made biologic but they won't know for probably 10 days.

The CDC hasn't had all of its scientists in the field since the 1978 outbreak of the Marburg virus. This is really, really bad.

WHO is weighing tomorrow in a special meeting whether to make a recommendation to make a five-day halt in ALL international travel. This has never been done before. There are apparently two strains of this infection found in humans, and it has never been seen in humans before.

One of the first cases was diagnosed at the hospital which is located at the end of my street!!!! That is very scary!!

On the news tonight, they said that up to 1000 people could be potentially affected because of the amount of people who have used Scarborough Grace Hospital. This would include anyone from patients, to courier deliveries, to taxi drivers.

Ick!

Yeah - even "small" stuff can sound very scary. But this....

I'm scared.

Oh. It turns out that all schools in Singapore were closed yesterday through April 6 (or 8?) to help stem the spread of SARS. Hong Kong has followed suit, and all schools there have been closed through April 6.

Many hospitals are still calling this "atypical pneumonia," but these cases are rapidly being diagnosed as SARS.

Have any of you read "The Hot Zone"? In years past, epidemics could be contained. Now, with jet travel, an infected person can expose thousands within a very short time.

OMG!!! This is the first I had heard of this!!!! This is really scary!!! So this is a deadly virus then? Do most people infected with it die or just a few...even just a few is terrible!!! I have a baby so it worries me even more!!!! A baby would probably have no chance of survival if they came into contact with this!!! Please someone keep me updated on any more news of this!!! I am very concerned about it. My prayers are going up for all the people who have it now...and their families. Thanks for letting me know about it!!!!!

Debby - most people recover from this. It seems to affect the elderly mostly. Only 4 people have died in Toronto and over 100 cases. Over 1000 have been voluntarily quarentined.

Bleh, I was just talking to Craig about this tonight, because he's developed some kind of congestion, and a sore throat and cough.

Just to keep you up, another 217 have occurred in Hong Kong. China has now identified all cases as SARS and not "atypical pneumonia."

Kass - you be VERY careful.

The deaths in China are 34, and if I remember correctly, there are an additional 12 in Vietnam and another 2 in Indonesia. With Canada's 4, that's 52, although I haven't checked ProMed the past two days. Last I read they were saying on ProMed that so far the death rate is 34%. Let's hope this proves to be an inaccurate estimate, and that as most of the cases are in hospitals that the rate [was] estimated to be that high because it is affecting people whose immune systems are already compromised.

But professionals are currently fleeing China, and there are travel advisories out.

Good News! Although SARS is spreading really rapidly, they are now reporting on the news that the death rate is just 3.4%. Maybe ProMed was missing a decimal!

But please keep alert. Also good to know is that one of the symptoms is a high fever (over 100 degrees Farenheit).

As each day goes by here in Toronto it gets worse. Here's the latest in Ontario:

Getting out of Toronto doesnâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]t mean you can get away from Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome. Health officials now confirm there are 111 cases of the disease being probed in the province.

And authorities have now ordered all Ontario hospitals to expand their testing processes for S.A.R.S. “We intend to screen people before entering hospital and will ask all the hospitals in Ontario to do this,†confirms Public Safety Commissioner Dr. James Young. “This includes employee screening, and includes visitor and clinic people screening. We are putting in place over the next few days stricter criteria in terms of transfer of patients from hospital to hospital, and hospital transfers will be monitored very carefully to ensure the suitability of these transfers.â€

Of the total number of S.A.R.S. patients being watched in Ontario, 53 are probable while another 58 are suspected. Many of those infected are health care workers, and for them the math works out this way: 40 per cent are probable infections, while another 27 per cent are suspect. But authorities caution the numbers change continually as test results come in – and that the figures are only an estimate.


The Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto has confirmed Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome has hit the most vulnerable of patients, with two probable and three suspected cases turning up at the facility. At least three of those being checked are under two years of age.

Ick!

Thank you for the update...this is just so very scary. I feel so bad for all those people!!!