March 31, 2003 5:33 AM

Hong Kong today, upstate New York tomorrow

Two Sabres under observation after exposure to SARS

(via Sean-Paul Kelley)

The seasons of two members of the NHL's Buffalo Sabres have effectively ended after their exposure to the SARS virus. Well, it's not as if the Sabres were going to the playoffs anyway, but this is a potential life and death matter.

BUFFALO, N.Y. -- Two Buffalo Sabres players were under observation Saturday after possibly being exposed to a mysterious and potentially deadly respiratory illness.

Defensemen Rhett Warrener and Brian Campbell, who played in the Sabres' 4-1 victory over Montreal on Friday, did not travel with the team for its game at Carolina on Saturday night.

Erie County Health Commissioner Anthony Billittier recommended the players remain isolated for 10 days, effectively ending their season because the Sabres play their last game April 6.

"I think if they ventured out of the house ... I don't think that would be a big deal," Billittier said. "They're not quarantined."

He said Warrener and Campbell were being kept away from the team as a precaution and there was no medical emergency.

"There is very little concern, but we're trying to be as cautious as we can," Buffalo coach Lindy Ruff said after the Sabres'3-1 victory over Carolina. "We're erring on the side of 'Let's make sure everything is OK.'"

Team spokesman Mike Gilbert said the decision to hold the players back was a precaution, and that neither has shown any signs of being infected with severe acute respiratory syndrome, or SARS.

The decision was made after the team's doctors consulted with Erie County and New York state health officials. It was determined that there was what Gilbert called "a remote chance" that the players had limited exposure to the virus after a female relative of Campbell's visited them Monday. The players are roommates.

The players will likely be fine, but this should serve as a frightening illustration of how quickly a biological threat from one part of the world can spread to another. If you think of this in terms of terrorism, how easy would it be for a biological agent to be spread worldwide? Judging by the spread of SARS, it would be frighteningly easy and terrifyingly fast.

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This page contains a single entry by Jack Cluth published on March 31, 2003 5:33 AM.

At least it's consistent was the previous entry in this blog.

Yeah, but what we really want to know is.... is the next entry in this blog.

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