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from http://www.japantoday.com/ __________ Preparing for World Cup germ invasion Worried about hooligans running amok at the upcoming 2002 World Cup? They're small potatoes compared to the catastrophe that might occur if a carrier of some exotic tropical disease were to spread his germs in a stadium filled with 50,000 football fans. The question is, of the 380,000 foreign visitors expected in Japan for the big event, will one of them be bringing along a case of Ebola? Or Lhassa fever? Or bubonic plague? The Japanese government is at least giving some thought to the possibility. Shukan Jitsuwa (4/4) reports that on March 12, the quarantine section at the Kansai International Airport conducted a full-scale drill simulating an outbreak of Ebola. The drill included transport of the victim from the airport to a designated hospital, and a review of the methods for tracking down and monitoring possible secondary carriers. According to Motoki Onishi at the airport's quarantine station, employees of local governments in the Kansai area, airport customs, immigration, and medical services took part in the simulation. Although Kansai International Airport expects to welcome some 160,000 foreign visitors during the World Cup, the chances of such an epidemic occurring, fortunately, appear fairly slim. Since 1987, Japan has had just one reported case of Lhassa fever - brought in by a Japanese returning from Africa - and no patients are currently being treated for other deadly maladies such as Ebola and Marburg disease, in the so-called "Category 1." Should an outbreak occur, however, the possibility of secondary infection is a major concern, as Japan is poorly equipped to deal with a full-blown epidemic: It has only 12 hospitals designated to treat viral hemorrhagic fevers that constitute the bulk of Category 1 ailments. Buntaro Kuroi, author of a book on biological terrorism, contracted malaria (a "Category 4" disease) while visiting the tropics. Even though he ran a constant fever, it took his physician a full week before he recognized the symptoms as malaria. "There are hospitals with a resident specialist who can deal with a particular disease," says Kuroi. "But it takes time to locate one. If an outbreak were to occur in a hotel or at a stadium during the World Cup, I wonder what will happen. There's really no way to prepare completely for something like this." March 25, 2002 ____________________ Click the link below to view this article and related discussions on Japan Today http://www.japantoday.com/e/?content=kuchikomi&id=161 ____________________ ===== Lake Merritt Neighbors Organized for Peace. Weekly peace walks around Lake Merritt in Oakland. Starts & ends at the colonnade between Grand & Lakeshore Avenues, 3 P.M., every Sunday. Info: (510)763-8712, <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> or http://www.webwm.com/LMNOP __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Yahoo! Movies - coverage of the 74th Academy Awards® http://movies.yahoo.com/ --------------------------- ANTI-NATO INFORMATION LIST ==^================================================================ This email was sent to: archive@jab.org EASY UNSUBSCRIBE click here: http://topica.com/u/?a84x2u.a9617B Or send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] T O P I C A -- Register now to manage your mail! http://www.topica.com/partner/tag02/register ==^================================================================
