Almost at the same time as the raid sirens sounded in Baghdad last month, a war started in Asia-Pacific on the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS), or atypical pneumonia, a highly infectious disease rarely seen in the recent history.
Unlike in the war on Iraq, a sincere common front was rapidly formed in the atypical battle on SARS, and it has since made remarkable progress in controlling the killer disease.
In Hong Kong, shortly after 10 SARS cases, mostly doctors and nurses involved in treating the index patient, were diagnosed in the Prince of Wales Hospital on March 8, the government informed the World Health Organization (WHO), and started to take whatever measures needed to prevent the disease from spreading.
Among others, Chief Executive Tung Chee Hwa on March 27 activated the Quarantine and Prevention of Disease Ordinance to require people who had close contacts with SARS patients to reportfor check-up at designated clinics.
Later on, schools were ordered to close to protect children from contracting the disease, and residents of a SARS-affected housing complex were evacuated and placed in a safe shelter. The whole community was also called on to do a thorough cleansing and disinfection.
More importantly, 200 million HK dollars was allocated to tackle the disease, covering the expenses of hiring medical staff,treating patients and offering related services.
Although the situation seemed to have showed signs of improving,with more and more patients being discharged from hospital every day and the admittance being generally on decrease, the governmentdid not let up its efforts and has been preparing for the worst scenario.
Singapore also did a good job in combating SARS. The governmentadopted a "isolate-and-contain" approach, which, in words of PrimeMinister Goh Chok Tong, "was deemed the better and more practical strategy."
A ministerial committee, headed by the minister for home affairs and comprising five ministers, two senior ministers of state and two ministers of state, was set up to complement the work done by an executive group of senior civil servants who started looking into the SARS problem when cases surfaced in the country.
The government also asked employers to give special SARS-related paid leave to employees in need to get treatment or to take care of their family members.
On April 3, Minister for Health Lim Hng Kiang declared at a press conference that the spread of the disease was under control and an all clear can be given between April 17 and 20, although his ministry is still preparing the citizens for a long haul in combating SARS.
In addition, the Singapore government offered cooperation with its neighbor Malaysia in checking the deadly disease. The offer got favorable response from Kuala Lumpur despite their disputes onother issues.
Macao has stayed on a high alert in the prevention of SARS. A coordinating panel, consisting of officials from the Health Services, Education and Youth Affairs Services, Social Welfare Institute, Emergency Rescue Center, Civil Affairs Services, Tourist Office and the Press Office has been set up to take round-the-clock command of the epidemic control if any SARS case appeared in Macao.
Three medical consultation stands were established at the airport, land customs of Gongbei and the port linking sea route toHong Kong, respectively, where 16 doctors work on shifts to provide medical help and monitor the SARS evidence.
Sources with the Civil Affairs Services said that some 100 police and inspectors will aid the office's effort on examining and controlling urban sanitation, and spitting and littering will be heavily fined.
Thailand, a favorable tourist destination of the region and theworld, started to take precautionary measures as early as in mid-March. On March 31, Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra chaired a special meeting to work out ways to prevent the disease.
As the results of the meeting, tougher screening was introducedfor passengers arriving from SARS-affected areas, and 10 emergencyteams of doctors from universities, state and private hospitals have been set up to investigate any suspected cases.
A quarantine station was set up inside the military base at Bangkok's Don Muang international airport, and arriving passengerssuspected of having the disease will be held there for at least 24hours.
In Chiang Mai airport, Songkhla airport and Mai Sai checkpoint in Chiang Rai province, officials have received the same order.
Thai embassies and consular offices in high-risk areas were instructed by the Thai Foreign Ministry to knock on the door of thousands of Thai workers to check on their condition and submit regular reports on their latest health situation.
Elsewhere in the region, governments of Vietnam, the Philippines, Indonesia, India, Australia, Myanmar and Cambodia, among others, have all taken various steps to check SARS, including screening of passengers at airports for symptoms relatedto the disease, compulsory check-up and quarantine, cleansing and disinfection, suspension of labor export to SARS-affected areas, and a massive awareness campaign.
(Xinhua News Agency April 8, 2003)
