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Hong Kong (pte051/29.04.2003/17:26) - The SARS virus may have a less dramatic effect on children than on teenagers and adults.
Researchers of the University of Hong Kong http://www.cuhk.edu.hk/en have published this cautious conclusion in the professional journal The Lancet http://www.thelancet.com . No cases of deaths among children have yet been reported (last count 25 April).
The researchers in a team led by Tai Fai Fok based their report on the examination of the first children known to be infected in the early phase of the Hong Kong epidemic.
According to the team, children usually show milder symptoms, such as a runny nose and cough, while teenagers and adults are also afflicted with severe breathing difficulty, muscle pain and shivers. Teenagers and adults must therefore more often be treated with oxygen.
The study also showed that the clinical course of the disease was milder and shorter among children.
By last account, 138 people have died of SARS in Hong Kong. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), 1,557 people have been infected with the disease worldwide. In Peking the number of cases has risen to 1,347.
As reported by Chinese health officials today, the number of SARS cases in the Chinese capital increased by 152 within a day. First cases have also been reported in New Zealand, Mongolia and South Korea. (newsfox-special SARS)
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