The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
(CDC) on Saturday began distributing cards at airports receiving
flights returning directly from Hong Kong warning travelers returning
to the United States from Hong Kong and Guangdong Province, People’s
Republic of China and Hanoi, Vietnam that they may have been exposed
to cases of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS).
The cards are being handed out by quarantine officials at Chicago,
O’Hare International Airport; Los Angeles; New York City, JFK
International Airport; Newark; and San Francisco. These airports
are the only U.S. airports receiving direct flights from Hong
Kong. No U.S. airports receive direct flights from Hanoi or the
Guangdong Province. CDC officials expect to expand the distribution
of cards to Anchorage, Alaska and the territory of Guam later
today.
The travel cards warn those returning from the three areas that
they should monitor their health for at least seven days. They
are also advised to contact their physicians if they become ill
with a fever accompanied by a cough or difficulty in breathing.
The cards also offer guidance designed to assist physicians in
making a diagnosis by advising travelers to tell their physicians
about recent travel to the affected regions, and whether they
have been in contact with individuals who displayed symptoms of
SARS.
As of March 15, 2003, the CDC had received reports of SARS cases
in Hong Kong and Guangdong Province, People’s Republic of China;
Hanoi, Vietnam and Canada, Singapore and Thailand. For that reason
the World Health Organization has issued emergency guidance for
travelers and airlines so that persons displaying symptoms of
the illness can receive immediate health care and can be brought
to the attention of public health authorities. These individuals
are also advised against traveling while ill.
The CDC advises physicians and other clinicians to be alert for
travelers who:
Have a fever of 100.4 degrees Fahrenheit or higher;
One or more symptoms of respiratory illness including cough, shortness
of breath, difficulty in breathing, hypoxia (deficiency in the
amount of oxygen reaching tissues of the body), X-rays indicating
the presence of pneumonia, or respiratory distress; AND
One or more of the following:
History of travel to Hong Kong or Guangdong Province, People's
Republic of China, or Hanoi, Vietnam within seven days of symptom
onset;
Close contact with persons with respiratory illness having the
described travel history. Close contact includes having cared
for, lived with, or had direct contact with respiratory secretions
and body fluids of a person with SARS.
Additionally, airlines should:
Alert the destination airport of any passengers meeting the case
definition criteria;
Arriving passengers who are symptomatic should be referred to
health authorities for assessment and care;
Aircraft passengers and crew should be informed of the person’s
status as a suspect case of SARS;
The passengers and crew should provide all contact information
for how passengers can be reached for the subsequent 14 days to
airport health authorities.
CDC advises that persons planning elective or nonessential travel
to Hong Kong and Guangdong Province, People’s Republic of China
and Hanoi, Vietnam may wish to postpone their trips until further
notice. Detailed information can be found on CDC’s Traveler’s
Health Website at http://www.cdc.gov/travel/.
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