SARS and Seniors

Seniors are at higher risk, but risk can be reduced

The number of SARS cases worldwide continues to grow, with the majority of cases continuing to be in the East with China being hardest hit. The United States has so far been relatively SARS free. Only a handful of cases have been reported with no deaths from SARS identified. Experts expect the rapid rate of SARS infection to slow somewhat as summer approaches in the Northern Hemisphere. Respiratory infections traditionally reach their peak during the winter months and decrease in number and intensity during the summer.

While there have been few SARS cases in the United States the medical community is not ignoring the threat. The CDC is working with the World Health Organization to help find a treatment or vaccine for this highly infectious disease. The World Health Organization has stated those extremely infectious patients of the SARS virus or "super-spreaders" appeared to be the elderly or those already suffering medical ailments. It appears that those patients with a lowered immune response carry a higher "viral load" - a higher concentration of the virus in the body. As with Influenza it would appear that older adults and others with weakened immune response would appear to be at higher risk of getting SARS, spreading SARS and dying from SARS.

What can seniors do?

Amy Cheng Vollmer, an associate professor of biology whose research focuses on bacterial stress response at Swarthmore College states, "Not everyone is equally susceptible to SARS."

Vollmer notes that the most severe SARS cases have been traced to exposures in airplanes or hospitals -- both places where people have close interactions while breathing air that is relatively dry. "These places have dry air for a reason," says Vollmer, the editor of Microbiology Education, a publication of the American Society for Microbiology. "But your respiratory mucus and cilia are the front line of what protects you from respiratory infections and keeps you healthy. When they are exposed to dry air, they stop functioning properly."

Vollmer also gives these suggestions to help reduce the risk of illness from SARS and other infectious diseases:

• wash your hands often
• consider wearing a mask if you are in a region with numerous known primary cases
• if you are in a plane or hospital for any length of time, stay fully hydrated
• eat a balanced diet, with the full complement of vitamins and minerals
• if you smoke, quit
• get a flu shot yearly
• exercise for at least 30 minutes daily
• get enough sleep

The story of SARS continues to unfold on a daily basis. With the medical and scientific community working on a greater understanding of the mechanisms of transmission and prevention, seniors can help stem the spread by adopting a lifestyle that helps to reduce susceptibility. Prevention appears to be the best medicine so far.