I posted this to the national discussion board as well:

FYI for providers and hobbyists - re S.A.R.S. (Severe Respiratory Distress Syndrome)  This respiratory infection mimics the flu and carries a high case fatality rate.  Providers, in particular, may wish to add this to their list of screening questions when scheduling appts for the next few weeks or so until the full extent of this illness is better understood.  Here is an excerpt from the CDC re this condition:
http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/sars/

"CDC has been working with the World Health Organization (WHO) since late February to investigate and confirm outbreaks of this severe form of pneumonia in Viet Nam, Hong Kong, and parts of China. No cases have been identified to date in the United States.

"The emergence of two clusters of this illness on the North American continent indicates the potential for travelers who have been in the affected areas of Southeast Asia to have been exposed to this serious syndrome," said Dr. Julie L. Gerberding, CDC Director. "The World Health Organization has been leading a global effort, in which CDC is participating, to understand the cause of this illness and how to prevent its spread. We do know that it may progress rapidly and can be fatal. Therefore, we are instituting measures aimed at idenntifying potential cases among travelers returning to the United States and protecting the people with whom they may come into contact."

Case Finding
Be alert for persons with onset of illness after February 1,
2003 with:
1) Fever (>38° C; >101 degrees F)
AND
One or more signs or symptoms of respiratory illness including cough, shortness of breath, difficulty breathing, hypoxia, radiographic findings of pneumonia, or respiratory distress
AND
One or more of the following:
History of travel to Hong Kong or Guangdong Province in People's Republic of China, or Hanoi, Vietnam, within seven days of symptom onset.
Close contact with persons with respiratory illness having the above travel history. Close contact includes having cared for, having lived with, or having had direct contact with respiratory secretions and body fluids of a person with SARS.

If you have further questions regarding this illness, please contact me for more info.

Save hobbying everyone!