No cases of severe acute respiratory syndrome have been reported in The Bahamas and Caribbean region but all must be alert and local surveillance of the disease will be increased, Minister of Health Marcus Bethel said Wednesday.
"There is no need for alarm in the public. Be reassured that the Ministry of Health and its various agencies are on alert, are appraised and are carrying out the appropriate surveillance programs, in respect of the SARS problem," Dr. Bethel said at a press conference.
As of Wednesday, the World Health Organization (WHO) had reported 2,223 cases of SARS with 78 deaths. The syndrome, initially reported on March 15, is rampant in Vietnam, Hong Kong, mainland China and Singapore, but the Centers for Disease Control has received reports of outbreaks on the West Coast of the United States, Canada, Thailand, Germany and Switzerland.
WHO issued an alert Wednesday that travel to Hong Kong, Guandong province in northern China should be postponed. The Ministry of Health in The Bahamas is therefore advising Bahamians not to deter travel to all affected regions.
The Health Minister said the Ministry will be asking the traveling public from "suspected areas" to fill out health alert cards, which will be distributed at all local ports of entry.
According to Dr. Bethel, a team of surveillance staff from the Ministry of Health is working on measures to prevent the disease from spreading into the country and have collaborated with the help desk at the airport, the Airport Authority, Customs Department, Bahamas Immigration and all ports of entry.
Dr. Bethel said it is necessary to have regular updates about SARS because of the opportunity it has to spread around the globe. "We wish to keep the public fully informed as we go along and as the information becomes known to us, we will pass it on to the public."
Meanwhile, most cases appear to involve health-care workers caring for SARS patients and close family contacts. Close contact would mean having cared for, lived with, or having had direct contact with respiratory secretions, such as coughs, sneezes and bodily fluids. The incubation period between exposure to infection and the development of symptoms appears to range from from two to seven days.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has identified three criteria, which must all be present, by which a potential SARS case may be identified. These include a fever greater than 38 degrees Celsius or 100.4 degrees Fahrenheit and one or more signs or symptoms of respiratory illness, including cough, shortness of breath, difficulty breathing, hypoxia (low oxygen in the blood), and x-ray findings of pneumonia or respiratory distress.
The Ministry of Health is urging individuals with these symptoms to contact it at 502-4700 or 325-0620 for further assistance.
Prevention of new cases is based on avoiding close contact with SARS-infected people and those matching the case description for SARS should be promptly evaluated by medical personnel and admitted to a hospital.
Meanwhile, the United States Embassy in a fact sheet on SARS, is encouraging all people traveling or residing abroad to familiarize themselves with the information available from the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention and the World Health Organization about SARS. The CDC website can be found at www.cdc.gov and the WHO at www.who.int.
The embassy said in Hanoi and Hong Kong, the appearance of SARS has had an impact on medical facilities, due to the closing and/or quarantine of hospitals and the spread of the disease to health-care workers.
According to the fact sheet, the CDC is working closely with the WHO and country partners to define the origin of this infection, to track patterns in its transmission and to determine the effective strategies for its control and prevention. It said the CDC has issued a travel advisory and health alert notices, which are being distributed at ports of entry to people returning from Hanoi and Hong Kong.
This public announcement from the CDC expires on June 26, 2003.
By Tamara McKenzie, The Nassau Guardian
