khaosworks | Gesundheit!

HK doctors 'identify killer disease'

Scientists in Hong Kong have claimed a key breakthrough against a virulent form of pneumonia which is claiming more victims around the world.

The researchers have identified the mystery respiratory illness at the heart of a global health scare as a virus from the paramyxoviridae family, which are responsible for conditions such as mumps and measles.

More work is needed to establish whether the virus is a new strain and whether it is curable, according to the doctors from the Chinese University of Hong Kong and Prince of Wales Hospital.

But a university spokeswoman told BBC News Online that the discovery indicated that the treatment being given to patients suffering from the atypical pneumonia in Hong Kong - the hardest-hit area - was the right kind.

I hope they get this worldwide alert over with soon - not just for the sake of the infected or the health of the not-yet-infected, but so that I won't get bloody quarantined when I fly into the US in August because I come from the East and sneeze at the wrong time or something.