Last Thursday, the University Medical Center admitted a Darden student showing flu-like symptoms, who hospital officials originally suspected to have Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome.
First detected three to four months ago in China, SARS is a mysterious flu-like respiratory disease primarily detected in those who have traveled to Asia. The Darden student, who recently traveled to China along with 34 other students from the University, will be kept in isolation for a few days before being released.
He presently is recovering from what is thought to have been a less grave ailment, officials said.
The World Health Organization currently is monitoring SARS and has identified 337 cases outside of China's mainland. Ten of these cases have resulted in death.
According to Internal Medicine Prof. Gerald Mandell, not much is known about this new, baffling disease.
"The disease is very flu-like," Mandell said. "Symptoms include fever and headache, later becoming worse with coughing and shortness of breath."
The Center for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta reports 37 different cases in the United States that currently are under investigation, with patients in 18 different states.
Out of the various cases, most involve individuals who have recently traveled to Asia. Officials stressed that none of these cases yet has been confirmed.
If one case was confirmed, however, it would mark the first time SARS has been transmitted in the U.S.
In Virginia, the three individuals suspected of having SARS are reported to be in good condition. State officials said they do not feel the public is threatened by the illness, but chiefly are concerned about those who have traveled in Asia, as well as family and healthcare technicians in close or direct contact with people suspected of having SARS.
College student Joyce Cheung, a native of Hong Kong, said she is concerned about returning home this summer, noting that SARS has dominated the news there.
"I really want to go back home, but I'll wait and see how it goes," Cheung said. "My main concern is about not being able to come back [to the U.S.] in the fall."
The infectious disease, which most likely started in the Guangdong province of China, is spreading throughout the world and lacks an established treatment.
"If you have been to Hong Kong or Vietnam and develop a fever and cough within a week of returning to the Untied States, you might have the SARS infection and should go see a doctor," said William Petri, University professor of internal medicine, microbiology and pathology.
Health officials are not positive what causes SARS, though recent studies in Germany and Hong Kong suggest the disease is caused by a paramyxovirus.
The CDC said they are giving health alerts to travelers returning from Asia and are committed to regular, effective communication.
The Virginia Health Department is reaching out to local Asian residents, educating them on the symptoms of SARS.
Petri said the community should be informed about the SARS disease because of its severity.
"Thankfully, it is still very unusual in the U.S.," he said.
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