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Monday, May 12, 2003
Filipino-American isolated in Seoul hospital as probable Sars patient (10:54 am)
SEOUL -- A Filipino-American has been admitted to an isolation ward in South Korea after airport quarantine officers diagnosed him as a "probable" Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (Sars) patient, health officials said Monday.
The 80-year-old ethnic Filipino showed classic symptoms of the killer disease when he arrived at Incheon Airport Sunday after a two-week trip to the Philippines, the National Institute of Health (NIH) said.
"He is under intensive care after experts classified him as a probable Sars patient," an NIH official told AFP.
The man, who was in transit to San Francisco, had a fever of 39.4 degrees Celsius (102.9 degrees Fahrenheit) and severe respiratory problems, he said.
More tests will be needed to determine whether the patient has contracted Sara, he said.
The NIH has isolated 11 crew members of Asiana flight 372, on which the man traveled here from the Philippines, as well as five passengers who sat near him. Of the 243 passengers on the plane, 132 traveled on to San Francisco at 1030 GMT Sunday.
It was the second probable case of Sars in South Korea, although there has been no confirmed case.
On April 29, South Korea announced its first probable case, a man who had traveled to China. He was sent home from hospital Saturday. AFP
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