Almost at the same time as the raid sirens sounded in Baghdad last
month, a war started in Asia-Pacific on the Severe Acute
Respiratory Syndrome (SARS), or atypical pneumonia, a highly
infectious disease rarely seen in the recent history.
Unlike in the war on Iraq, a sincere common front was rapidly
formed in the atypical battle on SARS, and it has since made
remarkable progress in controlling the killer disease.
In
Hong Kong, shortly after 10 SARS cases, mostly doctors and nurses
involved in treating the index patient, were diagnosed in the
Prince of Wales Hospital on March 8, the government informed the
World Health Organization (WHO), and started to take whatever
measures needed to prevent the disease from spreading.
Among others, Chief Executive Tung Chee Hwa on March 27 activated
the Quarantine and Prevention of Disease Ordinance to require
people who had close contacts with SARS patients to reportfor
check-up at designated clinics.
Later on, schools were ordered to close to protect children from
contracting the disease, and residents of a SARS-affected housing
complex were evacuated and placed in a safe shelter. The whole
community was also called on to do a thorough cleansing and
disinfection.
More importantly, 200 million HK dollars was allocated to tackle
the disease, covering the expenses of hiring medical staff,treating
patients and offering related services.
Although the situation seemed to have showed signs of
improving,with more and more patients being discharged from
hospital every day and the admittance being generally on decrease,
the governmentdid not let up its efforts and has been preparing for
the worst scenario.
Singapore also did a good job in combating SARS. The
governmentadopted a "isolate-and-contain" approach, which, in words
of PrimeMinister Goh Chok Tong, "was deemed the better and more
practical strategy."
A
ministerial committee, headed by the minister for home affairs and
comprising five ministers, two senior ministers of state and two
ministers of state, was set up to complement the work done by an
executive group of senior civil servants who started looking into
the SARS problem when cases surfaced in the country.
The government also asked employers to give special SARS-related
paid leave to employees in need to get treatment or to take care of
their family members.
On
April 3, Minister for Health Lim Hng Kiang declared at a press
conference that the spread of the disease was under control and an
all clear can be given between April 17 and 20, although his
ministry is still preparing the citizens for a long haul in
combating SARS.
In
addition, the Singapore government offered cooperation with its
neighbor Malaysia in checking the deadly disease. The offer got
favorable response from Kuala Lumpur despite their disputes onother
issues.
Macao has stayed on a high alert in the prevention of SARS. A
coordinating panel, consisting of officials from the Health
Services, Education and Youth Affairs Services, Social Welfare
Institute, Emergency Rescue Center, Civil Affairs Services, Tourist
Office and the Press Office has been set up to take round-the-clock
command of the epidemic control if any SARS case appeared in
Macao.
Three medical consultation stands were established at the airport,
land customs of Gongbei and the port linking sea route toHong Kong,
respectively, where 16 doctors work on shifts to provide medical
help and monitor the SARS evidence.
Sources with the Civil Affairs Services said that some 100 police
and inspectors will aid the office's effort on examining and
controlling urban sanitation, and spitting and littering will be
heavily fined.
Thailand, a favorable tourist destination of the region and
theworld, started to take precautionary measures as early as in
mid-March. On March 31, Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra chaired a
special meeting to work out ways to prevent the disease.
As
the results of the meeting, tougher screening was introducedfor
passengers arriving from SARS-affected areas, and 10 emergencyteams
of doctors from universities, state and private hospitals have been
set up to investigate any suspected cases.
A
quarantine station was set up inside the military base at Bangkok's
Don Muang international airport, and arriving passengerssuspected
of having the disease will be held there for at least 24hours.
In
Chiang Mai airport, Songkhla airport and Mai Sai checkpoint in
Chiang Rai province, officials have received the same order.
Thai embassies and consular offices in high-risk areas were
instructed by the Thai Foreign Ministry to knock on the door of
thousands of Thai workers to check on their condition and submit
regular reports on their latest health situation.
Elsewhere in the region, governments of Vietnam, the Philippines,
Indonesia, India, Australia, Myanmar and Cambodia, among others,
have all taken various steps to check SARS, including screening of
passengers at airports for symptoms relatedto the disease,
compulsory check-up and quarantine, cleansing and disinfection,
suspension of labor export to SARS-affected areas, and a massive
awareness campaign.
(Xinhua News Agency April 8, 2003)
