CAREC issues SARS alert

THE CARIBBEAN Epidemiology Centre (CAREC) has issued an alert on the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) multi country outbreak. The alert comes in the wake of a travel advisory from the World Health Organisation (WHO).

The WHO said it had received reports of more than 150 new suspected cases of SARS, an atypical pneumonia for which no cause has yet been found. Reports have been received from Canada, China, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of China, Indonesia, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam. Due to the spread of SARS to several countries in a short period of time, the WHO has issued an emergency guide for travellers and airlines. Dr Gro Harlem Brundtland, Director General of the WHO, said the syndrome was a worldwide threat and “the world needs to work together to find its cause, cure the sick and stop the spread”. The WHO said the exact nature of the infection was still under investigation, and the advisory was based on early information. The WHO has advised all travellers, including airline crews, to be aware of the main symptoms and signs of SARS which includes a high fever, one or more respiratory symptoms including cough, shortness of breath, or difficulty breathing, close contact with a person who has been diagnosed with SARS, or recent history of travel to areas reporting cases of SARS.

Travellers experiencing this combination of symptoms are advised to seek medical attention immediately and to pass on information about their travel destination to health care staff. They are also advised not to undertake further travel until they have recovered. Airlines have been issued with guidelines including notifying the destination airport that a suspected case of SARS is on board. On arrival, the sick person should be referred to airport health authorities for assessment and management, while the rest of the crew and passengers are to be informed of the person’s status as a suspected case of SARS. The passengers and crew should provide contact details for the subsequent 14 days to airport health authorities, stated the WHO. As a general precaution, the aircraft may be disinfected in the manner described in the WHO Guide to Hygiene and Sanitation in Aviation.