Essex has been hit by its first suspected case of the deadly Sars bug, it has been revealed today.
The suspected victim of the virus was admitted to an isolation unit at Broomfield Hospital, Chelmsford, at the weekend after flying back to the UK from Taiwan.
He is believed to be the fifth UK case of the virus, which experts say originates from the Far East,
A Mid Essex Hospitals NHS Trust spokeswoman today said: "On Saturday, April 5, a man who had recently travelled from Asia was referred to Broomfield Hospital in Chelmsford.
"He had severe flu-like symptoms which were suggestive of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (Sars).
"Following assessment by hospital doctors and our public health advisers, he was transferred to Addenbrooke's Hospital in Cambridge for specialist care.
"Infection control programmes were followed and no other individual was thought to be at risk of contracting any infection from the patient."
Published Monday, April 7 , 2003
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