|
|
| Illinois Jail Officials Taking Precautions Against SARS |
| By Daily Herald |
| Published: 04/16/2003 |
|
Every week the McHenry County, Ill., jail opens its doors to as many as 10 Chinese nationals caught trying to enter the United States illegally. For the most part, those inmates, detained while awaiting a hearing on their requests for asylum, are the least of the correctional officers' worries. Almost all are women who find themselves behind bars not for violent or criminal behavior, but for trying to seek a better life in this country. However, in recent weeks those detainees have been presenting jail officials with a new and unexpected reason for concern: Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome. Better known as SARS, the mysterious flu-like illness is being blamed by world health officials for more than 110 deaths around the globe, more than half of them in China. There have been about 3,000 cases of SARS worldwide. Health officials are still trying to determine what causes the illness, how it is contracted and how to stop it. Its symptoms include fever, dry cough and difficulty breathing. Though there have been no confirmed SARS-related deaths in the United States, there have been as many as 166 suspected SARS cases in the nation, almost all involving people who had recently traveled in Southeast Asia. Authorities believe the illness is responsible for as many as nine deaths in Canada. Researchers now believe SARS originated in the Guangdong province in southeast China, which, along with neighboring Hong Kong, has been hardest hit by the illness. SARS' toll has not gone unnoticed by McHenry County jail authorities who say they are taking new precautions because of concerns about the illness. The fact most Chinese nationals in the county jail hail from the Fujian province, which borders Guangdong, may increase those concerns. 'As soon as it got started the officers became concerned about it,' McHenry County jail chief Tom Svoboda said. Since the SARS outbreak began, Svoboda said, he has met with his correctional officers and issued a bulletin discussing the illness and its symptoms. The jail has made surgical-type masks available to officers, though none has used them to date, Svoboda said. The jail is also requiring Chinese detainees to fill out questionnaires asking whether they have been in locations where exposure to SARS was possible, Svoboda said. So far, he added, none of the detainees has shown symptoms of SARS. The detainees, most of whom are taken into custody while trying to get past customs at O'Hare International Airport, undergo a similar process when they enter the country. Everyone entering the United States from China, Singapore, Hanoi, Vietnam, is given a health alert card describing the illness and encouraging anyone who displays its symptoms to seek medical attention, CDC spokeswoman Karen Hunter said Monday. 'Most people who have the symptoms want to get it checked out because they're scared,' she added. Because scientists are still uncertain about what causes the illness, Hunter said, there is no test to confirm whether a person has SARS. Anyone suspected of having the disease will be placed in isolation, she said. With so much uncertainty about the disease, McHenry County jail officials say they are going to take every precaution necessary to ensure the illness does not spread among their staff or inmates. 'We understand there are going to be concerns,' Svoboda said. 'The bottom line is we're going to err on the side of caution.' |
advertise
|
privacy policy
|
add URL
|
about us
|
terms/disclaimer
|
contact us
|
join our team
|
help
If you’re looking for a lawyer in Waco, you’ll need to know that the first to hire Dunnam & Dunnam usually wins. If you have a personal injury claim, an insurance claim, or other matter involving a court or business transaction you should contact the best Waco attorneys to explain your legal rights. You can contact them on the website link above.