topic Re: SARS: 2002 & 2004 My Involvement in ramping up in Community Chat

SARS: 2002 & 2004 My Involvement in ramping up

sfnative — Thu, 27 Feb 2020 22:30:21 GMT

Hi Everyone,

With the Coronavirus on many lips these days, plus FB feeds (I received one today from an Italian police officer friend and, believe me, the situation - morale - is not good), I thought I'd share my 2002 SARS experience with you.

It's interesting in terms of what the very initial stages are PRIOR to ramping up. Now...if you plan to write something back of an inflammatory nature, just don't. This is serious business and I simply want to share, here, what the effort was, what it took and where it went from there. It didn't happen over night, as some would like it to happen.

SARS: Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome. We were challenged twice by this virus: 2002 & 2004. It is highly contagious and is caused by the SARS Coronavirus known as SARS CoV. It originated in China. The 2004 outbreak was linked to a medical lab in China, where it was thought that a tech may have actually have had manual exposure to the virus. In 2002, there were 8,098 reported cases and 774 deaths. The pneumonia resulting from SARS is most difficult to treat.

In 2002, I worked in research for a branch of the military. As you can imagine, with such a population of military personnel stationed around the world, it was imperative of the branch for which I worked to establish an immediate clinical approach to the SARS virus. To that end, the Head of Infectious Diseases at our Command, the largest medical command in our particular branch of the service, was tasked to develop a "Response." This Response was all-inclusive and extremely comprehensive.

One Monday, as I sat at my desk, I received a call from our department head to come to his office immediately. I was introduced to Dr. X, the Head of Infectious Diseases, with whom I already had a relationship, as we sat on the IRB together. My department head then advised me that I was chosen to work hand-in-hand with Dr. X in developing the SARS protocol. In this case, the word "protocol" was used to mean not only the plan, but a means to define all which applied to the SARS virus within the context of our war against this microbe.

Dr. X. and I were given an office with one desk and one computer and 2 chairs. We closed the door and started work. Thank God my background was in hard science, as I was actually able to be of help and not just a "secretary." Dr. X. roughed out outline after outline, until he was satisfied. Then we began the grueling work of defining, setting goals, funding, research (where & how), methods of reaching all of our military and so on. We worked 10-12 hour days and were able to accomplish so much, because we were not bogged down by a committees!

When we had completed the protocol, Dr. X. walked it up to our Admiral for a brief review, as it was truly on its way to the Pentagon for review, modification, re-write and action.

How long did this take? We began that Monday afternoon and printed the tome of a protocol at 1900HRS on Thursday, ~35+ hours later, clearly a miracle in my book.

So, how did things go at Command where I worked? We did, unfortunately, admit several patients infected with SARS, all of whom survived. And, I must credit this success to Dr. X., who is now a world renowned physician in his field.

Re: SARS: 2002 & 2004 My Involvement in ramping up

spud188 — Thu, 27 Feb 2020 22:52:42 GMT

No snotty comments from me. Thanks for sharing about your project with Dr.X Very informative.

Re: SARS: 2002 & 2004 My Involvement in ramping up

pitdakota — Thu, 27 Feb 2020 23:00:45 GMT

Really interesting @sfnative! How neat to have been actively involved in developing those protocols!

Re: SARS: 2002 & 2004 My Involvement in ramping up

BlueFinch — Thu, 27 Feb 2020 23:30:28 GMT

And, that folks, is exactly how it should be handled, with expediency, knowledge and a team of a, do-or-die, dedicated two. Thanks for sharing the experience.

Re: SARS: 2002 & 2004 My Involvement in ramping up

1Snickers — Fri, 28 Feb 2020 02:22:08 GMT

Thank you for your work and experience. I only hope this new virus is handled as efficiently!

Re: SARS: 2002 & 2004 My Involvement in ramping up

shoesnbags — Fri, 28 Feb 2020 02:29:05 GMT

I wish we could get you to work on this latest virus, @sfnative . Thanks for sharing!

Re: SARS: 2002 & 2004 My Involvement in ramping up

proudlyfromNJ — Fri, 28 Feb 2020 02:35:15 GMT

@shoesnbags wrote:
I wish we could get you to work on this latest virus, @sfnative . Thanks for sharing!

@shoesnbags Ditto to @sfnative working on it. No one else seems to be.

Re: SARS: 2002 & 2004 My Involvement in ramping up

Stray — Fri, 28 Feb 2020 12:00:10 GMT

Working in medicine for 50 years, I’ve been in contact with TB when rampant and no known medications, developed endemic response plans for a large company with expats in Mexico during H1N1, SARS in China & Anthrax & worked very closely with the CDC. These experts knew what they were doing then & now. They follow protocols exactly as described by the OP not only during an outbreak but they follow trends throughout the world and post threats online ongoing on a daily basis. I check their website before traveling. Protocols are in place & I have full confidence in this agency. They are free from any political influence & they don’t advertise Or grandstand but these professionals have been working on this virus from day 1. Many are working on this so go to their website for information rather than believe “no one is working on it”. WHO is useless & political. The CDC is not.

Re: SARS: 2002 & 2004 My Involvement in ramping up

Pecky — Fri, 28 Feb 2020 13:22:22 GMT

@Stray wrote:
Working in medicine for 50 years, I’ve been in contact with TB when rampant and no known medications, developed endemic response plans for a large company with expats in Mexico during H1N1, SARS in China & Anthrax & worked very closely with the CDC. These experts knew what they were doing then & now. They follow protocols exactly as described by the OP not only during an outbreak but they follow trends throughout the world and post threats online ongoing on a daily basis. I check their website before traveling. Protocols are in place & I have full confidence in this agency. They are free from any political influence & they don’t advertise Or grandstand but these professionals have been working on this virus from day 1. Many are working on this so go to their website for information rather than believe “no one is working on it”. WHO is useless & political. The CDC is not.

@StrayThank you so much for posting this. I was wondering why they aren't saying anything on the news that they are working on it to try to ease the fear going on. The media only focuses on the bad stuff and gets everyone nervous.

Re: SARS: 2002 & 2004 My Involvement in ramping up

CrazyKittyLvr2 — Fri, 28 Feb 2020 19:50:33 GMT

It's good to know people behind the scenes (CDC) know what they are doing.

As to the media, they are reporting where it is showing up and how many are affected.

If they don't report on it, and and tons of people get sick here, there would heck to pay because they weren't warned and would ask why is wasn't reported on.

Re: SARS: 2002 & 2004 My Involvement in ramping up

CrazyKittyLvr2 — Fri, 28 Feb 2020 20:39:13 GMT

@MorningLover I never heard of Dr. Samadi. I looked him up. He is a urologist, not an epidemologist. He was the highest paid Dr. in New York raking in 7 million dollars.

In November 2019, I believe, a lawsuit was settled for 12 million dollars because he booked mulitiple surgeries at one time and would leave patients in less qualified hands to tend to another.

While he may be a good urologist but I want my information/opinions from an expert at the CDC.

This situation is serious but I am not getting into a tizzy over it. I am taking the same precautions I do during flu season. Wash my hands frequently, don't touch my face, clean surfaces with wipes.

Re: SARS: 2002 & 2004 My Involvement in ramping up

sfnative — Mon, 02 Mar 2020 18:44:57 GMT

@proudlyfromNJ wrote:
@shoesnbags wrote:
I wish we could get you to work on this latest virus, @sfnative . Thanks for sharing!
@shoesnbags Ditto to @sfnative working on it. No one else seems to be.

@shoesnbags

Believe me! Our folks ARE working on it! Don't know where you got that notion. Not only in the private sector, but I must tell you that the CDC usually takes first steps - the lead. We also have Fort Detrick (sp?), where the military's highest level of bacterial and microbe research, etc., occurs. You better believe those folks are involved as well. We are the United States! We are always are the forefront! You may not be hearing about it, but IT IS HAPPENING - I GUARANTEE IT!

If you are watching and listening to media which is telling you nothing is being done at all, then you're being misinformed. A coronavirus immunization is just down the pipeline! Haven't you heard about that?

Re: SARS: 2002 & 2004 My Involvement in ramping up

shoesnbags — Mon, 02 Mar 2020 18:49:58 GMT

@sfnative wrote:
@proudlyfromNJ wrote:
@shoesnbags wrote:
I wish we could get you to work on this latest virus, @sfnative . Thanks for sharing!
@shoesnbags Ditto to @sfnative working on it. No one else seems to be.
@shoesnbags

Believe me! Our folks ARE working on it! Don't know where you got that notion. Not only in the private sector, but I must tell you that the CDC usually takes first steps - the lead. We also have Fort Detrick (sp?), where the military's highest level of bacterial and microbe research, etc., occurs. You better believe those folks are involved as well. We are the United States! We are always are the forefront! You may not be hearing about it, but IT IS HAPPENING - I GUARANTEE IT!

If you are watching and listening to media which is telling you nothing is being done at all, then you're being misinformed. A coronavirus immunization is just down the pipeline! Haven't you heard about that?

@sfnative

It was @proudlyfromNJ who stated that no one else seems to be working on it. She was replying to my post which thanked you for sharing, and wished that we could get you personally to work on this new virus.

Re: SARS: 2002 & 2004 My Involvement in ramping up

JustJazzmom — Mon, 02 Mar 2020 22:33:59 GMT

Let's put some perspective on how contagious Covid-19 is compared to other viruses by looking at the basic reproduction number.

From the ncbi.nlm.nih dot gov website:

The basic reproduction number, R nought (R0), is defined as the average number of secondary cases of an infectious disease arising from a typical case in a totally susceptible population, and can be estimated in populations if pre-existing immunity can be accounted for in the calculation. R0 determines the herd immunity threshold and therefore the immunisation coverage required to achieve elimination of an infectious disease.

From Wikipedia:

Values of R0 of well-known infectious diseases Disease Transmission R0

Measles	Airborne	12–18
Diphtheria	Saliva	6–7
Smallpox	Airborne droplet	5–7
Polio	Fecal–oral route	5–7
Rubella	Airborne droplet	5–7
Mumps	Airborne droplet	4–7
Pertussis	Airborne droplet	5.5[2]
HIV/AIDS	Sexual contact	2–5
SARS	Airborne droplet	2–5[3]
COVID-19	Airborne droplet	1.4–3.8[4][5]
Influenza (1918 pandemic strain)	Airborne droplet	2–3[6]
Ebola (2014 Ebola outbreak)	Body fluids	1.5–2.5[7]
MERS	Airborne droplet	0.3-0.8[8]

Re: SARS: 2002 & 2004 My Involvement in ramping up

suzyQ3 — Mon, 02 Mar 2020 23:57:43 GMT

I am very skeptical about the veracity of this topic.

Re: SARS: 2002 & 2004 My Involvement in ramping up

suzyQ3 — Tue, 03 Mar 2020 02:40:23 GMT

@morning lover, the numbers are rising here, so you might want scatch that doctor off your list sources. The numbers are slowing down in China.

Re: SARS: 2002 & 2004 My Involvement in ramping up

sfnative — Mon, 09 Mar 2020 06:31:53 GMT

@shoesnbags

Got it! Thanks so much for the clarification. I really appreciate it.

I am "pain limited" in the amount of time I can spend on my laptop and so it appears I was hasty in this instance, so I could close out my laptop and recline my chair. (This pain is really wearing on me and I'm at the end of my rope with something like this. May have a neurostimulator implanted in April, so am hoping for improvement.)

Re: SARS: 2002 & 2004 My Involvement in ramping up

shoesnbags — Mon, 09 Mar 2020 19:32:17 GMT

@sfnative wrote:
@shoesnbags

Got it! Thanks so much for the clarification. I really appreciate it.

I am "pain limited" in the amount of time I can spend on my laptop and so it appears I was hasty in this instance, so I could close out my laptop and recline my chair. (This pain is really wearing on me and I'm at the end of my rope with something like this. May have a neurostimulator implanted in April, so am hoping for improvement.)

@sfnative

I understand your pain. My son has ME/CFS and suffers body wide pain 24/7. He is now unable to use a keyboard of any kind because of the pain in his hands. DH and I are his caregivers. How does this neurostimulator work to ease pain?

Re: SARS: 2002 & 2004 My Involvement in ramping up

Oznell — Mon, 09 Mar 2020 21:31:53 GMT

@sfnative, thank you for your past work and your informed and sensible comments on all that is and has been done in the U.S. vis-a-vis this new virus. That's helpful and helps combat some of the disinformation that floats around.

I hope your pain abates and you feel much better.

Re: SARS: 2002 & 2004 My Involvement in ramping up

MorningLover — Tue, 10 Mar 2020 15:26:28 GMT

@sfnative wrote:
Hi Everyone,

With the Coronavirus on many lips these days, plus FB feeds (I received one today from an Italian police officer friend and, believe me, the situation - morale - is not good), I thought I'd share my 2002 SARS experience with you.

It's interesting in terms of what the very initial stages are PRIOR to ramping up. Now...if you plan to write something back of an inflammatory nature, just don't. This is serious business and I simply want to share, here, what the effort was, what it took and where it went from there. It didn't happen over night, as some would like it to happen.

SARS: Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome. We were challenged twice by this virus: 2002 & 2004. It is highly contagious and is caused by the SARS Coronavirus known as SARS CoV. It originated in China. The 2004 outbreak was linked to a medical lab in China, where it was thought that a tech may have actually have had manual exposure to the virus. In 2002, there were 8,098 reported cases and 774 deaths. The pneumonia resulting from SARS is most difficult to treat.

In 2002, I worked in research for a branch of the military. As you can imagine, with such a population of military personnel stationed around the world, it was imperative of the branch for which I worked to establish an immediate clinical approach to the SARS virus. To that end, the Head of Infectious Diseases at our Command, the largest medical command in our particular branch of the service, was tasked to develop a "Response." This Response was all-inclusive and extremely comprehensive.

One Monday, as I sat at my desk, I received a call from our department head to come to his office immediately. I was introduced to Dr. X, the Head of Infectious Diseases, with whom I already had a relationship, as we sat on the IRB together. My department head then advised me that I was chosen to work hand-in-hand with Dr. X in developing the SARS protocol. In this case, the word "protocol" was used to mean not only the plan, but a means to define all which applied to the SARS virus within the context of our war against this microbe.

Dr. X. and I were given an office with one desk and one computer and 2 chairs. We closed the door and started work. Thank God my background was in hard science, as I was actually able to be of help and not just a "secretary." Dr. X. roughed out outline after outline, until he was satisfied. Then we began the grueling work of defining, setting goals, funding, research (where & how), methods of reaching all of our military and so on. We worked 10-12 hour days and were able to accomplish so much, because we were not bogged down by a committees!

When we had completed the protocol, Dr. X. walked it up to our Admiral for a brief review, as it was truly on its way to the Pentagon for review, modification, re-write and action.

How long did this take? We began that Monday afternoon and printed the tome of a protocol at 1900HRS on Thursday, ~35+ hours later, clearly a miracle in my book.

So, how did things go at Command where I worked? We did, unfortunately, admit several patients infected with SARS, all of whom survived. And, I must credit this success to Dr. X., who is now a world renowned physician in his field.

@sfnative Thank you for all your work and expertise !