Mystery Illness in NJ

A New Jersey woman who recently traveled to Asia has one of 11 suspected cases of a mysterious flu-like illness under investigation in the United States, health officials said Wednesday.

The state Department of Health and Senior Services said it was reviewing the possible case of severe acute respiratory syndrome, or SARS, with the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The 36-year-old woman began complaining of fever and cough on Feb. 8, more than a week before leaving for Asia, the health department reported. Five days after her Feb. 19 departure, her symptoms worsened.

The woman's condition deteriorated despite medical attention she received in Asia. She returned to the United States on March 2 and was admitted to a northern New Jersey hospital the same day.

She improved enough to be released on Monday. No signs of the illness have appeared in family members who accompanied her to Asia or the hospital employees who treated her, according to the health department.

It was the only suspected case of the illness reported in New Jersey.

Health officials in California and New Mexico each report having a suspected case.

The illness, for which there is no treatment, has caused 14 deaths, including five who died months earlier in an outbreak in China. The worldwide number of cases, including the 11 suspect U.S. cases, now totals 264, according to the World Health Organization.

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Author: NBC10/AP