May 1, 2003	Thursday	Safar 28, 1424

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ISLAMABAD, April 30: A comprehensive plan has been chalked out by the Capital Development Authority (CDA) to protect the residents from the deadly disease, Severe Acute Respiratory Syndromes (SARS).

This was stated by the CDA’s health services director, Dr M. Iqbal Afridi, while delivering a lecture here on Wednesday.

Dr Afridi described precautionary measures and interim guidelines on infection control and precautions to be taken about SARS.

In his lecture, the health services director recommended that potential patient should be isolated until 10 days after resolution of fever, provided respiratory symptoms are absent or improving; proper hand hygienic principles be adopted; hand gloves and surgical masks be used; sharing of eating utensils, towels, tissues and bedding with potential SARS patient be stopped; house wastes including soiled with fluids of potential SARS patient be treated as normal waste.

He also recommended traditional washing with water and soap, use of gloves.

He said those who came in contact with body fluid of an expected SARS patient, he/she should wash hands with alcohol dipped cotton. Similarly, girls should not use artificial nails and nail size should not exceed to 1/4th of an inch and nails hygiene should be done regularly, he added.

He said the symptoms of the disease were infections, sneezing, cough, fever, palpitation, headache, vomiting, difficulty in breathing, chest pain and sense of fatigue. Mode of transmission of SARS include droplet infection, oro-fecal and air, he added.