Imbert: President Richards to declare SARS a dangerous disease

Within the next 48 hours President Max Richards under the Public Health Ordinance will issue a Proclamation declaring Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) a dangerous infectious disease, Health Minister Colm Imbert told the House of Representatives yesterday.

The main implication of the definition by the President is that persons in Trinidad and Tobago found to be suffering with the deadly virus — for which there is no known cure — would be isolated. His Excellency is expected “in due course” to declare Caura, which has a history of isolation of patients, as an isolation institution for the quarantine and treatment of patients with SARS, the disease which is sweeping Asia, Europe and North America. “Essentially we have asked the Principal Medical Officer to meet with the Director at Caura to tell us exactly what is required — and we are going to be moving quickly on this — to put that institution in a state of readiness to receive patients who may be suspected, or have contracted SARS,” he said.

The public and all medical personnel have been asked to be on the alert for anyone exhibiting the symptoms of SARS. Imbert has also advised that any member of the public who is experiencing the symptoms of SARS, or observes these symptoms in any member of their family, or anyone close to them, must report it to the Ministry of Health, which has a Disease Surveillance Unit. “It is a very dangerous situation, and we are putting the infrastructure in place to deal with the situation,” he said. The Minister said the President would also be asked to proclaim SARS as a notifiable disease — meaning that doctors all over the country must notify the health authorities once they suspect a person has the disease.

Imbert said although no cases had been reported in Trinidad and Tobago and the Caribbean, what was particularly alarming was that SARS had reached Canada and the situation was so “severe” there that entire schools were being quarantined.  Imbert was also concerned  that a group of Trinidad and Tobago businessmen were either about to leave for, or were on their way to participate in a trade fair in China, the place where most of the SARS cases have been reported, and where the disease is supposed to have started. Those who had not yet reached China were contacted. “The businessmen have been informed that it is unwise for them to go to China”. He went further: “We are getting a report of everybody who has travelled to this part of the world, and when they return we will have to deal with the situation”.

Imbert said Government was getting assistance from PAHO (Pan American Health Organisation) and WHO (World Health Organisation) to airlift the necessary medication to Trinidad and Tobago in the event that there were any SARS cases. Government had also put in place  “enhanced surveillance” at airports and seaports, he said. “The County Medical Officers, Port Health Medical Officers and Public Health Inspectors, the Health Control Officers are all being briefed and sensitised to the situation. We are going to have to insist now on the use of health declaration forms,” which would detail the travel history of passengers.

Imbert said Dr Kumar, County Medical Officer in St George East is in the process of organising a “specific response plan” for Piarco airport. Kumar met with airport personnel yesterday afternoon. Imbert said Dr Dougdeen, Port Health Officer at the Port Authority was dealing with the response for the seaport. He added : “We expect to get daily surveillance reports from all our agencies and officers in Trinidad and Tobago on what the current situation is” and on any possible or suspected or probable SARS cases. Imbert said the Ministry has mandated the Principal Medical Officer, institutions, and  all the Medical Chiefs of Staff to have a response plan by Friday April 4 (yesterday).

Imbert said the main symptoms of SARS are high fevers (38 degrees centigrade), one of more respiratory symptoms including cough, shortness of breath; close contact with a person who has been diagnosed with SARS, having cared for, having lived with and having had direct contact with the secretions of a person with SARS and recent history of travel to areas with reported cases of SARS. SARS can be contracted on a flight.  “And this is one of the problems facing airlines, airports and countries such as Trinidad and Tobago”, the Minister said. Imbert said contrary to “the hallucinatory and imaginary beliefs” of Ganga Singh, the Ministry of Health  had been doing its work. He said it was necessary to let the population know what effect it would have on air transportation and travel in general in Trinidad and Tobago.

The Public Health Ordinance describes as an infectious disease, cholera, plague, typhoid, yellow fever and any other disease which the government by proclamation declares to be an infectious disease. Imbert said the WHO, PAHO and all the world health organisations which were grappling with this disease are still not sure about the origin of the disease. Some 2,223 cases have been reported worldwide with 80 deaths. He said all that is to be done at this point is to isolate a patient, and use a number of “experimental remedies”.