F1 spreading the virus ?

**Bononi** · 3 Apr 2003, 12:30 (Ref:557172)

Check this out : http://www.itv-f1.com/news/news_story/14809

Quote:

from itv f1 website
An F1 journalist has gone down with a suspected case of the deadly virus that has swept the Far East.

The unnamed British journalist came down with the symptoms of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) after arriving in Sao Paulo to cover this weekend’s Brazilian Grand Prix.

The 42-year-old woman had previously been at Sepang for the Malaysian Grand Prix. She passed through Singapore and London before arriving in Brazil.

The case would be the first in Latin America. Sao Paulo State health secretary Luiz Roberto Barradas said the woman had been quarantined.

He said: "The patient has been isolated and for the moment we do not have any news of any other cases or patients. At the moment there is no risk for anyone to become infected with this disease."

The news comes a day after McLaren tester Alex Wurz revealed he was hospitalised last week amid fears he had contracted the virus.

Wurz was taken to hospital after falling ill on his return home from the Malaysian Grand Prix.

Wurz told Austrian daily Kleine Zeitung: "When I came home to Monaco I was really ill. My physician heard I had been to Malaysia and sent me to hospital.

"They tested me and I was put into quarantine. I was in hospital for 24 hours until the most important blood tests were done and I was totally clear."

Wurz has now fully recovered and will be back on duty at Interlagos this weekend.

He said: "I intend to fly to Sao Paulo on Wednesday."

SARS is a sort of pneumonia that has so far killed more than 75 people, mostly in Hong Kong and China.

From the local news : "It's already known that the journalist works for ITV and her name is Sally. The blood tests will be ready in a few hours, so it will cleared if the journalist really has the virus"

As most of the F1 circus had been to far east, wasn't it the case of tests and/or quarantine for everyone involved ?
This is scaring. A small group of people can contaminate hundreds in a few hours.

**Aysedasi** · 3 Apr 2003, 12:40 (Ref:557190)

I always knew F1 was dangerous.....

RWC · 3 Apr 2003, 13:43 (Ref:557277)

Can we quarantine mad max?He's OBVIOUSLY got something bad!!!

And whatever bernie had,it destoyed his heart years ago....

BootsOntheSide · 3 Apr 2003, 13:44 (Ref:557278)

Hopefully the woman involved will recover quickly, and prove not to have SARS. This is a major concern, although probably a case of someone getting over-panicky. Malaysia doesn't seem to be a major problem area, Wurz proved to be fine, and she's probably not been in contact with many Latin Americans while there.

climb · 3 Apr 2003, 13:55 (Ref:557287)

That's a problem I put on the table some days ago: talkin'about international flying, SARS is much more scary to me than terrorist actions linked to Iraqi war

**Bononi** · 3 Apr 2003, 14:04 (Ref:557291)

It is almost certain that she has a bacterian infection.

But while it's not a case of panic, it's a case to be watching carefully, because the disease is spreading through many countries, and number of deaths are increasing. For the first time in 10 years, the world health council issued a prohibition to travel to a country, China.

Lee Yue Yang · 3 Apr 2003, 14:05 (Ref:557294)

Yeah.This is ONE heck of a dangerous virus.I live in Singapore and there are a few hundred cases and 3-4 deaths.School's out because of this virus.It's very easy to get infected.And climb,SARS really is much more scary then terrorists!I agree fully with that!!

Lee Yue Yang · 3 Apr 2003, 14:06 (Ref:557295)

Forgot to add that I hope it does not affect F1 in any ways!

**Bononi** · 3 Apr 2003, 14:18 (Ref:557305)

We do hope Lee.

BTW, I reckon that GT_R is from Singapore too. Haven't hear from him lately...

paulzinho · 3 Apr 2003, 14:21 (Ref:557308)

Eek my Mums in Singapore at the moment for a couple of weeks, how bad is it over there?

pirenzo · 3 Apr 2003, 14:25 (Ref:557311)

Quote:

Originally posted by Aysedasi
I always knew F1 was dangerous.....

I wonder what will hapen when all the Japs come to Le Mans?
You have to admit, that now really isn't the time for that sort of comment.

Smokey 6 litre · 3 Apr 2003, 15:14 (Ref:557360)

F1 is a virus in itself, although in 2002 doctors and scientists found the miracle cure that they were looking for, Michael Schmacker, although now apparently there seems to be a new viralent strain of the F1 virus for 2003.

climb · 3 Apr 2003, 15:37 (Ref:557385)

Quote:

Originally posted by Lee Yue Yang
Forgot to add that I hope it does not affect F1 in any ways!

Wish the Lord you're right, Lee, next GP is in Italy...

Suzy · 4 Apr 2003, 12:22 (Ref:558267)

The suspected case of SARS has been declared a false-alarm. Sally Blower, the member of the ITV team affected (btw, she is not a journalist but deals with the logistics), does NOT have SARS; she has a conventional form of pneumonia and is responding well to treatment.

Get well soon Sally! Having had Pneumonia myself some years ago, I can sympathise with her.