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To: tsigprofit who wrote (11276)	3/28/2003 9:50:36 AM
From: xcr600	Respond to of 48461

ADSX more news today. PR machine in full gear. Applied Digital Solutions' Government Telecommunications - GTI - Unit Wins Multi-Year Contract from the Federal Government's General Services Administration Friday March 28, 7:01 am ET Award to GTI is part of GSA's $35 billion CONNECTIONS program in which 17 suppliers will provide telecommunications services and equipment to federal agencies biz.yahoo.com

To: tsigprofit who wrote (11276)	3/28/2003 9:53:29 AM
From: Bucky Katt	Respond to of 48461

Airport virus checks urged A mother and daughter wear masks Countries with large numbers of cases of a virulent pneumonia should screen passengers at airports for the illness, say experts. The World Health Organisation says that air passengers leaving Hong Kong, Taiwan, Hanoi, Singapore, Toronto and Guangdong province in China should be asked a series of questions to try to spot those carrying the SARS virus. The illness looks likely to have killed more than 50 people worldwide, and air travellers have carried it to more than a dozen different countries in the space of a week. A WHO spokesman said that the illness seemed to be spread by "close contact", meaning an infected passenger could spread the disease to anyone sitting within a few rows of seats on the plane. Spokesman Max Hardiman, WHO project leader for international health regulations said: "We are going to step up our travel recommendations." The US Centers for Disease Control said on Thursday that a Corona virus - possibly a strain never before seen in humans - is to blame. Other types of Corona virus can cause the common cold. Airline powers Any airline has the right to refuse to carry someone they have good reason to believe is "unfit to fly". However, the WHO has also given instructions to staff on what to do if they spot someone on board a flight who has symptoms. Experts say they should try to "isolate" him or her from fellow passengers, and encourage the patient to wear a face mask. Quarantine laws Increasing concern over the virus has prompted the closure of schools in both Hong Kong and Singapore until April 6. Airport Questions Have you been in contact with anyone who has SARS? Have you had symptoms such as a dry cough or high fever? Has any member of your family had any contact with someone with SARS? The Hong Kong government has ordered people who believe they have been exposed to the virus to stay away from work - or be fined or jailed. The Chinese government revealed on Wednesday that 34 people had so far died in an outbreak of a similar respiratory illness - mostly in the southern province of Guangdong. The World Health Organisation says that it believes the same virus is responsible for both the Guangdong outbreak and the "SARS" illness which has killed 19 and infected hundreds more elsewhere in the world. Dr Malik Peiris from Hong Kong University told a news conference: "It appears to us that the Corona virus is the primary cause of the disease...it is possible of course that other viruses might also infect the same patient and might increase the severity of the disease." SARS so far - cases (deaths) Hong Kong - 357 (11) Singapore - 74 (2) Vietnam - 59 (4) Canada - 33 (3) Britain - 3 (0) US - 40 (0) China - 792 (34) He suggested that the SARS strain might have originated from an animal virus which mutated to infect humans. The south China region has historically been associated with animal viruses "jumping" to humans. The identification of the virus could allow doctors to develop a test to rapidly identify genuine SARS sufferers. School closures All Hong Kong schools have been ordered to shut until at least April 6 to reduce the spread of the disease, it was announced on Thursday. More than 350 people in Hong Kong are now known to have been infected, and 11 have died. The authorities there have imposed a quarantine law. People who think they may have come into contact with a person known to be infected have to report for assessment at a clinic - and must stay away from work for 10 days. news.bbc.co.uk

To: tsigprofit who wrote (11276)	3/28/2003 10:09:45 AM
From: Bucky Katt	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 48461

Virus could be worse for the Asian economy than the Iraqi war, economists have calculated. Although cases of the virus - known as Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS).- have been detected as far afield as Canada and the UK, they have been concentrated in China, Hong Kong, Singapore and Vietnam. Being highly contagious, SARS is having a disproportionate effect on the region's service industries, especially tourism, which is forecast to fall by 20% by some analysts. A number of companies have shut down during the outbreak, high-profile entertainment and sports events have been postponed or cancelled, and retail trade has suffered. Combined with the region's existing economic troubles, the virus could knock a percentage point off economic growth in Singapore and Hong Kong, according to some forecasts. Service slump Although the majority of cases so far have been seen in China, the country is vast enough to suffer no overall economic malaise. SARS SO FAR: CASES (DEATHS) Hong Kong - 357 (11) Singapore - 74 (2) Vietnam - 59 (4) Canada - 33 (3) Britain - 3 (0) US - 40 (0) China - 792 (34) Singapore and Hong Kong, almost wholly dependent on the sort of service businesses that require human contact, are far more vulnerable. Both rely on tourism for some 5% of their gross domestic product (GDP), and services such as banking account for more than two-thirds of overall output. The disease is already causing problems for managers of large companies, where increasing numbers of staff are reluctant to turn up for work. DBS, a large Singaporean bank, has even been forced to complain to local regulators, after a rival allegedly spread rumours that SARS was rife among its staff. Staying away The worst-hit industry by far is tourism, a business that is currently small but seen as promising. Arrivals in Singapore are reckoned to be down 20% already, and some predictions say the season as a whole could be hit by as much as 50%. Part of an international rugby tournament has been cancelled, and the Rolling Stones postponed two Hong Kong concerts. Singapore Airlines and Qantas have already revised down their forecasts as a result of SARS, and Cathay Pacific has seen its ratings slashed by bank analysts. So far, the effects have been relatively limited, but economists caution that a prolonged outbreak would have serious repercussions. Hong Kong authorities are planning a sweeping programme of mandatory health inspections and disinfection, something that is likely to scare off visitors still more. Tigers tamed The epidemic has come at a difficult time for Asian economies. Asia's recovery from the crisis of 1997-98 was cut short by the global slump in demand for hi-tech goods and services - a key export for many Asian economies. Since then, the stagnant global economy has led to a surge in unemployment around Asia, especially in the once-buoyant economies of Hong Kong and Singapore. In Hong Kong, the authorities have had to announce tax hikes for the first time in 20 years, in an attempt to combat a mounting public deficit. Singapore, meanwhile, is effectively in recession, with growth at close to zero for the past six months. Story from BBC NEWS: news.bbc.co.uk

To: tsigprofit who wrote (11276)	3/29/2003 10:11:37 PM
From: Bucky Katt	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 48461

CDC: Mystery illness spreads more easily than first thought From Elizabeth Cohen CNN Medical Correspondent Saturday, March 29, 2003 ATLANTA, Georgia (CNN) -- The mystery illness that has sickened 1,550 people worldwide appears to spread more easily than was first thought, said Dr. Julie Gerberding, director of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Earlier this month, when cases of the mystery illness started appearing in North America, health officials thought it could be spread only by close, face-to-face contact, such as that which occurs between a doctor and a patient or among family members. The disease, which has killed 54 people in 13 countries, most of them in mainland China and Hong Kong, is called Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome, or SARS. "The potential for infecting large numbers of people is great," Gerberding told reporters Saturday. "We may be in the early stages of what could be a larger problem. On the other hand, this is new and we have a lot of questions about the overall spread." She added that the death rate of SARS is relatively low. About 3.5 percent of people who get the disease die from it. The rest recover, usually within about seven days, she said. "If there's any good news about SARS right now, it's that the majority of patients do appear to recover, and the death rate is lower than what we see with influenza epidemics," she said. Rapid spread throughout communities in Hong Kong and Vietnam suggests the infectious agent causing SARS might be airborne, meaning that the disease could spread even without face-to-face contact, Gerberding said. In addition, she said, the infectious agent might survive on inanimate objects, such as tabletops, infecting others that way. The CDC also extended its travel advisory for SARS on Saturday to include all of mainland China as well as Hong Kong; Hanoi, Vietnam; and Singapore. Evidence points to a never-before-recognized strain of coronavirus as the cause of SARS, according to the CDC, which is working to devise a diagnostic test to distribute to state health departments. Coronaviruses typically can survive for two to three hours on inanimate surfaces, Gerberding said. In the United States, most of the 62 infected people had recently returned from an affected country. Five of the cases lived with an infected traveler, and two are health care workers who cared for SARS patients in the United States. Most of the U.S. cases are being cared for at home, where they have been ordered to remain and wear a mask. Family members have been advised to call their doctor if they get headache, fatigue, a fever or cough -- all symptoms of SARS.