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| Sunday, 6 April 2003 |
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Woman detected with suspected SARS symptoms by Shanika Sriyananda Liyanage and Jayanthi Liyanage Sri Lanka's first suspected Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) case was detected at the Bandaranaike International Airport (BIA), Katunayake, yesterday morning. Dr. W.A.G. Jayasekara, BIA Health Officer told the Sunday Observer that the patient, a 25 year Asian woman (not Sri Lankan) had shown primary symptoms of SARS - high fever, cough, cold and the respiratory problems - and that she was admitted to the Infectious Diseases Hospital (IDH), Mulleriyawa. The patient is a crew member of Kuwait Airlines. Dr. Jayasekara said that it was too early to confirm whether the woman was fully infected with SARS but said that she had shown all primary symptoms of the virus. However contradictory claims by health officials led to some confusion, with health officials claiming that she had been admitted to ward 50 of the Colombo National Hospital, and later, retracting it to say she was at the IDH. But the confusion was further confounded by officials at the IDH, who claimed that the patient had refused to get herself admitted, and speculated that she may have entered a private hospital, or gone back to the airport. Meanwhile, a second person who was brought to the IDH, yesterday also suspected of SARS also left the hospital in the evening, against medical advice, to board the ship in which he had been travelling, Dr. Osmund Rupasena, Medical Officer in Charge Fever Hospital, said. Aged 54, the Japanese male had been sent to the National Hospital from the Ports for having had fever and a cold for eight days and Consultant Dr. Parakrama Dissanayake had examined and directed him to the Fever Hospital for isolation and an X-ray. Dr. Rupasena said that the present laws in Sri Lanka did not allow forcible detention of patients suspected of infectious diseases in quarantine and that symptoms of SARS generally emerged after an incubation period of ten days. "Usually, a patient could have fever, reddened eyes, lymphodes or diarrhoea, breaking into pneumonia in five days," he said, adding reassuringly, "SARS has a fatal percentage of only 3-10. In our villages, the fatality rate of even chicken pox is about 20 per cent". The Fever Hospital has kept aside two isolated wards and a portable X ray machine, in readiness for SARS, Dr. Rupasena said. Although SARS was curable, it has no vaccine at present. Meanwhile, a Hospital staff member said that about 30 patients warded at the IDH Hospital had discharged themselves by yesterday noon, for fear of being infected. The residents in the highly-populated area surrounding the Fever Hospital had expressed concern about their health, as many residents and school children crossed the hospital premises daily, to go to Malpura Housing Scheme. Dr. Rupasena said, "The previous hospital premises was as large as 58 acres, allowing for sufficient isolation, but the subsequent allotting of the land for housing had resulted in the premises being squeezed to about 32 acres". Buddhist monks from five temples had met the Hospital staff to discuss the health concerns and Ven. Mahara Dhammadassi Thera of Gnanawimalaramaya, Gothatuwa New Town said, "The panic is due to media and the health authorities not educating the people adequately on how to take precautions against SARS. There should be specific programme to enlighten the public," he insisted. Directors of all government and private hospitals have also been advised to inform the government epidemiologist if any infected patients are report to them. The Medical Research Institute (MRI) is also being strengthen to hold laboratory tests for those with SARS symptoms. The SARS virus spreads person-to-person through direct contact with droplets due to sneezing and coughing, according to health experts, but they are yet to identify how the virus could spread so rapidly. |
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| Editorial | Security Produced by Lake House |
