Students not concerned about possible infection, spread of SARS
Some say travel plans won’t be changed
By Lara Hendrickson
Staff Reporter

While the mysterious SARS virus has possibly affected 148 Americans, including four people in Texas, student reactions are mixed about travel and the possibility of contracting the disease.

Senior finance major Richard Xiong said he is planning on traveling home to China this summer and that he is not at all concerned about his trip.

“I do not really think this is that big of a deal,” Xiong said. “I know people there who are so afraid they take four showers a day, and I just can’t believe it.”

Xiong said not only is he not afraid of contracting SARS, he is not at all afraid of dying from it.

“If it is my time to go, then it is my time to go,” Xiong said. “But I am really not worried.”

Amber Elwell, a junior finance and real estate major, said she is traveling in the near future is slightly nervous about getting on a plane.

“I’m a little concerned about traveling soon,” Elwell said. “I know SARS hasn’t affected that many people locally, but there is always that slight risk. You never know who you will be sitting by on a plane.”

SARS, or severe acute respiratory syndrome, has mainly affected people in East and Southeast Asia and Canada. There have been 2,749 cases and more than 100 deaths worldwide, according to CNN.

Marilyn Hallam, assistant to the director of the Health Center, said she thinks there is no reason for students to be concerned about upcoming travel plans.

“I would say with 148 suspected cases, there is probably nothing to worry about,” Hallam said.

Hallam also said that like a flu epidemic, the Public Health Department will notify them if any action needs to be taken, and that a group of scientists worldwide will be meeting next week to discuss SARS and its effects. For now, she said, most signs of SARS are probably just allergies.

Hallam advised students to keep reading information about the disease and make themselves aware of any news.

According to WebMD, the illness usually begins with a fever and advances to chills and headaches. After two to seven days, patients develop a dry cough that may lead to insufficient amounts of oxygen getting to the patient’s blood. In 10 to 20 percent of the cases, patients will require mechanical ventilation.

The principal way SARS is spread is through droplet transmission, or an infected patient coughing or sneezing on someone, and travel is one of the principal ways the disease has been spread, according to WebMD.

While treatment includes the same treatment that would be used in a serious pneumonia case, steroids have also been administered to patients, along with ribavirin and other antimicrobials, according to WebMD.

According to WebMD, the leading number of possible cases comes from California, with 38 cases. New York has the second most suspected cases at 21. No deaths have occurred in the United States from SARS.

Lara Hendrickson