Many students may have traveled to countries at risk for Severe
Acute Respiratory Syndrome over spring break. These students are
now returning to dorms, apartments and lecture halls at UCLA.
UCLA health officials are taking precautionary measures against
the occurrence of the flu-like disease which is spread by close
contact. Recent evidence suggests SARS may even be airborne.
The staff at the Arthur Ashe Student Health and Wellness Center
at UCLA is prepared to treat patients in the event of a SARS
outbreak.
“If we determine that someone has symptoms that were
suspicious … (high fever, chills, and respiratory problems), we
would admit them to the emergency room promptly,” said JoAnn
Dawson, director of primary care at the Ashe Center.
“The earlier the intervention, the better off
they’ll be.”
The current treatment for SARS is hospitalization and supportive
care.
Students who traveled to countries with reported cases of SARS
such as China, Thailand, Vietnam and Singapore within the last
seven to 10 days are especially at risk for contracting the
disease.
“If (students) have the (symptoms) and if they’ve
traveled in or been in close contact with people who have been in
these countries, they should check with us,” Dawson said.
Other popular spring break spots such as Mexico have not yet
experienced a reported outbreak of the disease.
“This is allergy season, so it’s very common for
people to have respiratory symptoms now,” Dawson said.
“But if they haven’t been to those countries, their
risk is zero.”
Harold Lee, a first-year English student and Daily Bruin
Contributor, traveled to Hong Kong and Guangzhou, China over spring
break. He witnessed the atmosphere of the cities under the threat
of the epidemic.
“A few people wore masks ““ mostly elderly
people,” Lee said. “I don’t think the young
people really worried about it as much.”
According to Lee, although there was an obvious awareness of the
epidemic, there were few signs of fear or paranoia.
“We used public transportation a lot, and even then people
didn’t really wear the masks,” he said. “It
seemed like a normal day for people.”
Lee and his family, however, took the precautionary measures of
wearing masks in the subways and in congested areas of the
city.
When Lee returned from Hong Kong, yellow cards from the CDC were
distributed to passengers on his flight with instructions and phone
numbers to call should they experience any SARS symptoms.
Lee, however, believes that media coverage of SARS has created
an inaccurate portrayal of the disease.
“I was really skeptical of the American media before the
trip because they were describing it as a killer pneumonia,”
he said. “It just led people on.”
The Ashe Center staff received preparatory information for the
treatment of SARS prior to the return of students from spring
break.
“Because this is a contagious illness, we’re asking
anyone with those symptoms to wear masks and our staff will wear
surgical masks as well,” Dawson said.
According to Dawson, the threat of SARS for UCLA students is
relatively low.
“I don’t want to frighten anybody, but I do want
people to be aware that there is something going on,” she
said.
“We are aware of it and we are monitoring it. This
isn’t something that will take us by surprise.”