Infectious disease outbreaks signal need to think globally

Increased travel, growing antibiotic resistance and resurgence of diseases long thought to be controlled have public health experts warning against complacency.

By Victoria Stagg Elliott, AMNews staff. April 7, 2003.

Ed Septimus, MD, medical director of infectious diseases and occupational health at Memorial Hermann Healthcare System in Houston, is keeping his physicians on high alert.

Most recently, their vigilance has been focused on detecting symptoms that might indicate a case of severe acute respiratory syndrome. SARS is characterized by rapid onset of high fever, myalgia, chills, rigor and sore throat followed by shortness of breath, a cough and radiographic evidence of pneumonia. At press time, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention officials were attributing its cause to a strain of coronavirus.

Dr. Septimus' hospital has already seen two possible cases. Each time, the patient had to be immediately isolated. In both instances, the illness turned out to be something more benign.

Still, SARS is an assailant with which public health officials around the world are now struggling.

Overall, as of March 25, 39 suspected cases in 18 states were being investigated by U.S. health officials. Worldwide, according to reports to the World Health Organization, the count totaled 487 suspected cases and 17 deaths.

But SARS is only one threat.

Dr. Septimus juggles a variety of constant infectious disease concerns -- from an awareness of bioterrorism agents to the reality that he can no longer assume that the usual antibiotics will work against what once would have been viewed as a simple staph infection.

Sometimes it seems these bugs have developed incredible superpowers and the challenge of battling them has become an intense tug-of-war.