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| April 25, 2003 | Friday | Safar 22, 1424 |
Travellers warned against visiting SARS-hit states
ISLAMABAD, April 24: The government has warned travellers to consider postponing trips to SARS (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome) affected countries at least for next six weeks.
Health minister Mohammad Nasir Khan, talking to reporters at his office on Thursday, said no case of SARS had been reported in the country so far. Still, the government has decided to take various measures, targeting both outgoing and incoming passengers to and from countries like China, Vietnam, Thailand, The Philippines, Hong Kong, Canada, Australia, India, and some parts of the United States.
Since the news about the deadly epidemic appeared in the press, the health ministry took immediate measures, including collection of all available data about the disease in collaboration with the National Institute of Health and the World Health Organization, the minister said.
The information, thus, collected was forwarded to all departments concerned to help them take precautionary measures.
Some beds have been arranged in Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre, Karachi, Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences, Islamabad, and Sheikh Zayed Hospital, Lahore, to keep in quarantine the passengers having symptoms like high-grade fever, headache, dry cough and breathlessness. The quarantine period is 10 days.
A health centre has been set up at Sust to monitor visitors from China.
SARS is an acute viral infection of respiratory tract, which is primarily transmitted through inhalation of infected aerosol (droplets) from an infected individual and also by direct contact through touch, body fluids etc. Clinically, the condition is characterized by an acute onset with influenza-like symptoms, which may progress to potentially fatal pneumonia. A new member of coronavirus family, novel coronavirus, is responsible for the disease.
The disease was first identified on February 26, 2003, in Hanoi, Viet Nam. Since then, there have been confirmed reports of outbreaks of pneumonia in Viet Nam, Hong Kong, Special Administrative Region of China, The Philippines, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand, Australia, Indonesia, India, Japan, Malaysia, Belgium, Britain, Czech Republic, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Portugal, Rumania, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Israel, Canada, United States, Mexico, Panama and Brazil.
The mysterious virus has so far infected 4,300 people, out of which 251 have died in 30 countries in Asia, Europe, Middle East, North, Central and South America.
Monitoring at all the entry points — sea, land or air — of the country has been initiated. The airport health authorities have been given instructions for both outgoing and incoming passengers. These instructions will be displayed at prominent places and also distributed among the passengers in the form of leaflets. The moment a suspected case is identified, the authorities will quarantine it.
About the actions taken at Karachi, Islamabad and Lahore airports, the minister said the station managers of all airlines had been informed that the passengers developing initial symptoms during travel should be watched. The airport health authority is fully prepared to check all the flights, specially those coming from the affected countries. Duty medical officer has also been deputed to obtain an undertaking from the captain of the flight regarding health status of travellers.
The airport health officer/duty medical officer has also been asked to go inside the aircraft coming from the affected countries for initial screening of any suspected SARS case.
Medical officers have been instructed to make inquiries from arriving passengers as well.
A cabin for two patients has also been set up at the arrival lounge of the Islamabad airport, equipped with oxygen cylinder, masks, gloves, gowns and essential medicines. However, the minister said the cure for the deadly disease was yet to be discovered.
All airlines personnel have also been informed through letters to take precautionary measures in case of any contact with a suspected SARS patient during the flight.
The managements of airport restaurants have been asked to maintain cleanliness and to adopt safety measures.
All departments concerned like Customs, Immigration and Airport Security Force have been given necessary instructions regarding SARS.
Fumigation of the aircraft will be done if any suspected case is detected. A pro forma for Personnel Declaration of Origin and Health status has been circulated to the station managers of various airlines for obtaining information from the passengers.
A suspected case will be thoroughly examined, isolated and referred to hospitals, while the addresses of suspected patients are to be retained with the airport health authority concerned. The suspected patient will also be asked to have a regular follow up.
The epidemic investigation cell of the NIH is coordinating with all health authorities concerned for technical assistance and updating information on daily basis. It has also asked the departments concerned to adopt Disease Early Warning System approach on war footing.
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