Kouichi Morita, a representative from the World Health Organization
(WHO), arrived in Macao Special Administrative Region Saturday
morning to make a four-day inspection on the precautionary actions
the SAR has taken to prevent the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome
(SARS).
He
is the first WHO expert to visit Macao after the viral pneumonia
broke out in Macao's neighboring regions. Another communicable
disease control expert from WHO will pay a visit to Macao
shortly.
No
case of SARS infection has been found in Macao so far.
Macao, which hosts over 10 million tourists, is currently on high
alert of the disease. A SARS task force headed by Secretary for
Social Affairs and Culture Chui Sai On has been set up to
coordinate all the preventive measures against atypical
pneumonia.
The task force is also responsible to make timely release of SARS
infection information, while keeping a close contact with WHO, the
Chinese Ministry of Health and health departments in neighboring
Hong Kong and Guangdong Province. Should any atypical pneumonia
case be found in Macao, the task force will take a 24-hour control
immediately.
During the inspection tour, Morita will visit the isolation care
units, emergency room, intensive care units in hospitals, as well
as the Center for Disease Control and Prevention and other medical
facilities. He will meet with Macao's Chief Executive Edmund Ho Hau
Wah and Chui Sai On as well as other members with the task
force.
Dr. Kouichi Morita is a professor at the Department of Virology of
the Institute of Tropical Medicine of Nagasaki University. He
worked as the regional advisor in communicable diseases in the
regional office for the Western Pacific of WHO in 1995-1998.
(Xinhua News Agency April 12, 2003)