SARS words

　THE Atypical Pneumonia problem has caused a public panic, and brought the following words or expressions to our attention:

　　SARS-affected area 疫区

　　Singapore, where nine people have died of SARS (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome - a formal name for atypical pneumonia), announced that foreign workers and professionals from SARS-affected areas would be quarantined for 10 days before being allowed to work in the city-state. - AFP

　　cross-infection 交叉感染

　　The US Centre for Disease Control said they had come closer to proving that a new virus from the coronavirus family (冠状科病毒) causes SARS and that residents would be liable to cross-infection. - CHINA DAILY

　　fecal-oral transmission 口粪传播

　　The Hong Kong medical team now adds one more possibility - fecal-oral transmission, since the virus may be shed in the feces. Many viruses and bacteria are spread in this way. - REUTERS

　　isolation wards 隔离病房

　　"Some SARS cases are not even being placed in isolation wards and the possibility of cross infection is very great," said Henry Yeung of the Hong Kong Doctors Union. - REUTERS

　　forced quarantine 强制隔离

　　President Bush issued an executive order on Friday allowing the forced quarantine of patients with a mysterious new illness that has killed 80 people. - AP

　　communicable disease/ infectious disease 传染病

　　While the federal government has some authority to control the movement of people to stop the spread of communicable diseases, it generally has let the states handle that task, legal experts say. - USA TODAY

　　(place somebody, be) under quarantine / released from quarantine 被隔离/被解除隔离

　　China took steps to contain the SARS outbreak in the capital, placing close to 16,000 people under quarantine as further deaths were recorded in Asia. - AFP

　　SARS-designated hospitals 定点医院

　　Beijing says that dozens of entire buildings in the capital are under quarantine, including SARS-designated hospitals. - AP

　　suspected SARS case/ diagnosed SARS case 疑似病例/诊断病例

　　Health officials in Taiwan announced last Thursday that there is now one new additional suspected SARS case on the island. - REUTERS

　　incubation/ outbreak period 潜伏期/爆发期

　　Vietnam is the only affected country with a new case after passing 20 days - twice the SARS incubation period. - AFP

　　fever clinic 发烧门诊

　　According to Xinhua, the Beijing government has shut 60 of the 123 fever clinics attached to hospitals and other health care facilities in the past few days. Fever clinics are areas in hospitals and emergency wards where patients with a fever are first diagnosed. - AFP

　　epidemic surveillance system 疫情监测系统

　　Premier Wen Jiabao has warned that China's fragile rural health system will not be able to cope with a SARS outbreak. The basic rural medical facilities there are weak, technical capabilities are not adequate (and) the epidemic surveillance system is not sound. - REUTERS

　　super spreader 超级感染者

　　Evidence surfaced of super spreaders who were responsible for single-handedly infecting dozens of people, often in many locations and with a stunning swiftness made possible by air travel. - REUTERS

　　droplet transmission 飞沫传播

　　Hong Kong doctors said that face masks were essential protection against SARS, but paper ones should be avoided because they would be vulnerable to droplet transmission of the virus. - AP

　　panic-buying 恐慌购物

　　Authorities closed two hospitals and put patients and 2,000 workers under observation for the SARS virus, while across the city Thursday, anxious residents emptied grocery stores of rice, oil and frozen food in a bout of panic-buying. - AP