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DISEASE TRAVELING TO A CITY NEAR YOU
By Lauren Woods
SARS is spreading the globe, adding to the already suffering travel industry.
Since November the highly contagious disease known as SARS, or severe acute respiratory syndrome, has infected more than 4,000 people and killed some 250 patients in 27 countries. More than 7,000 people have been quarantined in their homes or hospitals.
SARS appears to have originated in southern China and has spread worldwide by jet. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) advises against travel to mainland China, Hong Kong, Singapore, and Hanoi. It also has issued a travel alert for Toronto, Canada as well.
SARS has largely passed the U.S. by. Only 40 people in the U.S. are believed to have SARS. So far the number of cases does not seem to be growing and not a single victim has died.
Barbara Nevins, 48, a registered nurse, shared the dangers of SARS and her fears of the disease.
“The spreading of this disease reminds me of the plague,” Nevins said. “It is so contagious and it’s a mystery to those in the medical field of how it really spreads and how contagious it really is. It has been known to spread around hospitals in Asia in a flash and it’s the hospital workers who are getting the wrath of it.”
The disease has rocked Asian markets and ruined the tourist trade of this entire region. Some airlines in Asia have been forced to go into bankruptcy. The disease has also spread panic through some of the world’s largest countries.
The economic impact of this deadly respiratory illness is rippling around the world. Time magazine has reported that North American airline booking to Hong Kong has plunged more than 85 percent. In the first two weeks of April, visitor arrivals to Singapore dropped 61 percent. Hotel business in Asia has decreased 25 percent.
For many Americans SARS is becoming a reality more and more each day. The disease has hit too close to home for many.
Tim Sullivan, 28, who works for People magazine agrees that many Americans are concerned a great deal about SARS.
“People traveling in and out of the United States from Asia and now even Canada have the potential of infecting us with this virus,” Sullivan said. “We really need to keep the SARS outbreak under control and not let it spread anymore. While on business, I sometimes travel to Canada, but with the recent alert I definitely will be less likely to go, but if I do, I am definitely bringing one of those face masks with me to protect myself.”
Airlines in the U.S. have handed out more than 500,000 yellow health-alert cards from the Centers for Disease Control. These cards tell passengers arriving from SARS prevalent areas what symptoms to be alert for and whom their doctors should contact in case of infection.
SARS has even affected America’s favorite past time, baseball. Major League Baseball said it is safe for teams to visit Toronto and play baseball. However they advise players to avoid direct contact with crowds, wash their hands a lot and use their own pens when signing autographs.
Ryan Friscia, 24, a minor league baseball player for the Anaheim Angels organization is frightened by the SARS scare.“We travel to play baseball up in Canada at times and if there is an outbreak of this deadly disease I really wouldn’t feel comfortable going,” Friscia said. “It’s a really scary scenario for us young guys. I couldn’t imagine traveling home and infecting my friends and family, even others I come in contact with.”
SARS is just one of many burdens that the travel industry has to bare. The travel industry not only has to deal with the affects of this disease outbreak but the jet lagging economy as well. The number of Americans traveling by air within the U.S. and abroad has plummeted due to the suffering economy.
Kathy Monahan, a travel agent at Liberty Travel Agency has seen a decrease in her business.
“People are choosing to stay home and not travel by plane if they don’t have to,” Monahan said. “The decrease in kids going on spring break these past few months is a total example of the loss of business I have been experiencing lately. The shape of the economy is an issue and so is the threat of terrorist attacks in this time after the war and all.”
Another downfall of travel recently can be summed up in the experience of traveling journalists. They have been allowed to experience war first hand by being embedded with the troops. As a result some have died. Military personnel, much like the reporters, have been forced to travel to foreign lands to fight in the war. About 100 soldiers have died so far.
Across America fare hikes in public transportation have become the norm. Commuters have become affected in many major cities including most recently New York.
Space travel operations have also suffered setbacks this year. The recent shuttle Columbia tragedy has resurrected the argument that human space travel is unsafe and too risky. Americans were once again confronted with the dangers of space travel after the tragedy when seven astronauts were killed.
Helen Ullio, of WNBC news, expressed deep disappointment and sorrow after hearing of the space travel tragedy.
“It’s just really sad for the families of the astronauts and NASA,” Ullio said. “Sending men and women into space is so risky. It’s great to have technology to do so but Americans are becoming more and more afraid of something going wrong. I just wish we could use machines to perform all the tasks humans usually do,” Ullio said.
All in all, travel has not been kind to Americans recently.