WEB ARTICLE 1:
World Press – June 20
A school-bus driver died on Thursday, becoming the 44th person killed by the pneumonia-like illness in the United States and the second to die this week.
Twenty-five people remain hospitalized with the virus. Over 450 cases have been reported in the United States in the last three months.
The latest victim was identified as a 57-year-old male with Type 2 Diabetes.
The 43rd virus related death occurred on Monday, when a 70-year-old patient died while under hospital supervision.
While vaccinations against the virus have proven effective, state governments in the hardest hit areas appear to have been slow in reacting to the threat.
“Our local officials don’t have a clue what’s going on,” said David McGuire, a local businessman, in an interview last week. “If there’s a problem, you fix it. You don’t wait for someone else to tell you what to do.”
The virus emerged nearly three months ago, although health officials are quick to say that it might have been around before that. While most cases are in the United States, a few isolated cases have appeared in major transportation hubs in Canada.
The outbreak has caused major economic damage to the tourism industry in several continental States, with hotels, airlines and restaurants reporting decreased business or complete closure.
WEB ARTICLE 2:
24 Deaths in 14 Days in
World Press – May 7
The nation’s top government agency for health issues reported early today that 24 people have died in 2 states from presumably the same viral strand.
Preliminary reports this morning indicate that the same viral strand was responsible for the death of 24 separate individuals.
While their investigation is ongoing, the agency says that the virus appears to be preventable with a one-time vaccine.
The virus is believed to have been carried from one state to another by an unsuspecting business traveler, who later died from the virus.
WEB ARTICLE 3:
Terrorist Activity Ruled Out As Cause
World Press – June 3
This past weekend, the Federal Bureau of Investigations
released a statement saying that the virus that is currently affecting the
A viral strand has been plaguing three States for over a month, resulting in the death of 97 individuals.
The FBI press release said that their extensive investigation has determined that the “virus is naturally occurring in nature” and that there is “no evidence that anyone purposely released it as a means of terrorism.”
Medical authorities have said that there is a vaccination for the virus and encourages those at risk to get the one-time injection.
Since the virus is not common, supplies of the vaccine have been either low or non-existent; however, a government spokesperson said that the stockpile of vaccine will be replenished from outside sources and that it will be available to those who need it.
WEB ARTICLE 4:
Special “Ask A Doc” Feature
For those unfamiliar with our website, one our most popular sections is “Ask A Doc.” Visitors to our site can e-mail health-related questions to our medical staff. The answers will then be shared on our website.
Since our first news article last month, we have been
flooded with questions about the virus that has been afflicting the
“My husband has been in the
The longest incubation period that we have seen reports on is 5 days. If your husband has had a vaccination for the virus, he will be protected and can not be a carrier. If not, we recommend that he get the vaccination immediately. As long as he hasn’t manifested symptoms before getting the vaccination, he will be fine. We also recommend that you and your son get vaccinated as well before his return, just as a precaution.
“I’m sure I am being overly concerned, but I was wondering
if it is safe to travel to Europe (Paris,
Currently, there have been no reported cases of the virus in Europe. Unless you are having extended layovers in areas heaviest hit by the virus, normal precautions should be sufficient. Remember to wash your hands regularly (15 seconds under warm running water), avoid touching your mouth or eyes, and eat well-balanced meals and get plenty of rest (traveling can be stressful, lowering your immune system).
“I am an American student who is studying overseas. I
have a question I want to ask, because I will be going back home in a few
days to visit for two weeks before returning for summer classes. I know
that I can get into the
The World Health Organization has not advised quarantines
for any airports at this time. We recommend that you take the vaccine before
going to the
“We have two probable cases in my community of this virus. We live in one of the hardest hit areas. Why weren’t they kept at the hospital? I don’t understand why these two were sent home to become a threat to our community.”
Unfortunately, many of the hardest hit areas simply ran out of hospital beds and critical care space. Because of this, those who are only suspected of having the virus and who are not demonstrating the full range of symptoms are being asked to comply with a self-imposed quarantine at their homes.
“Just wondering – is it known whether having the virus once will make a person immune against future attacks, even if exposed?”
Although it is still too early for definitive answers, it does appear that those who have contracted the virus once can not contract the same strand again.
“I know that this is a very insignificant question. I
am thinking about ordering a demo CD that is only available from the
There are no insignificant questions. In laboratory settings, the virus has not been able to live outside of the human body for more than three hours. Since some viruses do live longer, we might suggest that you wipe down the CD with a disinfectant cloth if you are concerned.
“I find it incredible that everyone is talking about this virus, but they aren’t giving the layman the symptoms one should look for if you suspect you may have contacted it. What are the initial symptoms?”
Original reports on the virus did not include symptoms simply because there was little or no consistency among the patients. After more individuals became infected, certain symptoms seemed to be more common, but were still very generalized. Using the first set of symptoms reported, everyone would have had some degree of the virus. Currently, health screeners are using the following symptoms to screen for the virus - sneezing or coughing, combined with headache or body aches.
“Hi, I’ve been reading about this virus and something occurred to me. I’m wondering if anyone else has thought of it. This virus could be an advanced form of another virus, especially if it’s not responding to meds. I know that germs can mutate very easily to survive. It could be some evolved form of the flu or even something worse like Mad Cow disease or something. Just a thought that I had, and wanted to share it.”
While it is true that viruses have the potential to evolve, this is not the case in this instance. This virus was identified 12 years ago, but has never been widespread, mainly due to its relatively short lifespan outside of the human body. Although hard data is unavailable, it is believed that this virus kills between 40 and 50 people-per-year worldwide, usually in isolated countries with lower health standards. Since the virus is largely uncommon, the majority of individuals have no immunity to it - thus a single infection could spread quickly.