Possible Case of Mystery Illness in Los Angeles County

March 17, 2003

LOS ANGELES (AP) - A possible case of severe acute respiratory syndrome has been identified in Los Angeles County, health officials said Monday.

The discovery was made after the Department of Health Services alerted emergency rooms during the weekend to be on the watch for persons with symptoms of the unusual respiratory illness which recently surfaced in Southeast Asia.

Specimens from the patient were sent to the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for testing. The patient, meanwhile, was doing well, the department said in a statement.

Dr. Jonathan Fielding, director of public health and county health officer, noted that respiratory illnesses are very common in Los Angeles County at this time of year.

"For many of these, a specific diagnosis is never obtained. Therefore, the mere presence of these symptoms should not be a cause of heightened concern," he said in a statement.

Fielding said that to avoid confusion with other respiratory illnesses, temperature and other physical symptoms must be accompanied by a history of travel to certain areas of Asia or close contact with persons who have the symptoms and have the travel history.

The CDC said Monday it was looking into four possible cases in the United States and had ruled out 10 other cases.

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