# 3017
Overnight there have been a number of news reports coming in on the suspected `SARS’ case in Russia. At this point – despite the hype - there is little reason to suspect SARS, or bird flu, over any of the more common causes of pneumonia.
The only thing we seem to know right now is that the woman was 23, she came from the far eastern region of Russia near the Chinese border, and that she appears to have died of pneumonia.
Could it be SARS or Bird Flu?
Well, sure.
But there are a lot of other, more likely, possibilities to consider.
The question health officials are trying to answer right now is, what pathogen was behind this fatal pneumonia?
When a person develops a pneumonia outside of a healthcare facility, it is referred to as Community Acquired Pneumonia – or CAP. It is a very common illness worldwide, and causes the deaths of hundreds of thousands of people every year.
Pneumonia most often stems from either a virus or bacteria – or both. Other causes can include fungi and, less commonly, parasites.
Often a common viral infection – like seasonal flu – can set up conditions in the lungs favorable for a bacterial `bloom’ to develop. The result is a secondary bacterial pneumonia.
Among the usual viral subjects we have seasonal influenza, parainfluenza, respiratory syncytial virus, metapneumovirus, and adenovirus – just to name a few.
Streptococcus pneumoniae and Hemophilus influenzae are two of the more common bacterial causes of pneumonia.
There are others, of course.
Mycoplasma pneumoniae and Chlamydophila pneumoniae are both common causes of Atypical Pneumonia. Less common, but fairly well known is Legionella pneumophila, or Legionnaires Disease.
We have to go pretty far down the list of likely subjects to get to H5N1 bird flu, or SARS.
Testing for these various micro-organisms takes time. And that assumes the proper facilities are available.
In the meantime, when faced with a possibility that they are dealing with something `exotic’, it only makes sense for authorities to quarantine those who may have been exposed.
The latest news reports (hat tip Dutchy on Flutrackers) really only tells us that the woman died of pneumonia.
As to what caused that pneumonia?
Well, stay tuned.
Suspected SARS death on Russian train confirmed as pneumonia
13:29 | 16/ 04/ 2009
NIZHNY NOVGOROD, April 16 (RIA Novosti) - A Chinese woman, who became ill on a Moscow-bound train, died of acute respiratory viral infection (ARVI), not SARS, investigators said on Thursday.
Earlier reports said the 23-year-old Chinese woman could have died of double pneumonia or Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS), a respiratory disease that can be spread through the air.
"The autopsy has shown that the death of the Chinese national occurred as a result of acute respiratory viral infection, pulmonary and cerebral edema. Blood samples have been sent to Moscow for analysis," a statement said.
The train travelling from the Far East Russian city of Blagoveshchensk was stopped at Zuyevka station central Russia's Kirov Region, where 52 Chinese passengers and seven Russians were sent to a local hospital.
"All of the people who were taken to hospital yesterday were admitted. Their health is described as satisfactory," a hospital source said without giving further details.
The carriage in which the woman was travelling was decoupled from the rest of the train, which then continued on its way to the capital. The train arrived in north Moscow's Yaroslavl train terminal early on Thursday following a one-hour delay.
The Chinese woman was accompanied by her husband, mother and father, who all had slight temperatures. The relatives said the woman had been ill since April 11 and they thought she had been poisoned.
Sanitary cordons were set up in Russia's Far East to prevent the spread of the suspected disease. Security measures were tightened to control the entry of Chinese citizens entering Russia. All passengers had to pass a medical examination before they were allowed to travel.
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