The Department of Health said Friday that when patients are highly
suspected to be infected with Severe Acute Respiratory Symptoms
(SARS), they will now be treated as SARS patients.
Assistant Director of Health Regina Ching said in a local
government radio interview Friday that now even if the patients
have manifestations of SARS-related symptoms but are still at an
uncertain stage of SARS infection, they will be treated as
confirmed cases at Hong Kong's public hospitals in a bid to
effectively contain the spread.
"When the symptoms are diagnosed to be very close to those of SARS,
they will be treated as SARS cases. But before, they would need to
have been confirmed in order to be treated for SARS," she said.
Ching said the department is considering releasing the figure of
suspected cases of SARS, as there is a need to give an accurate
portrait on the extent of the spread of the disease for public
good.
"We'll explore all avenues that are conducive to our getting the
full picture of the spread of the disease. We'll try our best to
convey information in a simple but clear manner to allow our
citizens to have a firm grasp of the situation of the disease
easily," she said.
Earlier, a press release issued by the Government Information
Services said ongoing hospital data indicate that of all patients
admitted for observation, about 10 to 20 percent have clinical
features suggestive of SARS condition.
Meanwhile, Ching stressed that if travelers in Hong Kong have been
detected at border checkpoints or the airport to have abnormally
high temperatures and carry symptoms suspected to be those related
to SARS, they will be swiftly referred to the hospitals within Hong
Kong.
"It would be better for such people to be treated swiftly than to
carry the disease around and infect other people. This is still the
policy we are following," she said.
(Xinhua News Agency April 26, 2003)
