The Department of Public Health on Monday strongly rebutted claims that Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) has surfaced in The Bahamas, despite media reports of a female patient with the symptoms being admitted to the Princess Margaret Hospital over the weekend.
A press statement issued to The Guardian Monday afternoon from the Health Department reiterated that there are no confirmed cases of SARS in The Bahamas. "Reported possible cases have been investigated and confirmed not to be SARS," according to the statement.
The brief statement said that the Ministry has already put in place a surveillance mechanism to identify probable or suspected cases of SARS, which include a questionnaire to be administered to all persons entering the country.
It continued that the Ministry of Health continues to heighten its surveillance and will work with the relevant authorities, such as Bahamas Customs, Immigration, Airport, Airlines and Health care facilities in New Providence, Grand Bahama and the Family Islands to monitor the SARS situation at all ports of entry.
"This effort is to prevent and contain SARS cases in The Commonwealth of The Bahamas. Any concern should be addressed to the Ministry of Health or the Department of Public Health at 502-4700 and 325-0620."
As of April 5, the World Health Organization (WHO) website, reported a cumulative total of 2,416 SARS cases and 89 deaths from 18 countries. This represents an increase of 63 cases and 5 deaths compared with April 4.
The deaths occurred in Hong Kong, (3), Malaysia, (1), and Singapore (1). The death reported by Malaysia represents the first case reported in that country. New cases were reported in Canada (5), Hong Kong (39), Taiwan, China (2), Singapore (1), the United Kingdom (1), and the United States of America, (15). One of two probable cases reported in Switzerland was removed from the list.
The WHO, as late as last week Wednesday, issued an alert that travel to Hong Kong, China and Guangdong provinces in the North should be postponed. The Ministry of Health in The Bahamas at the time, also advised the Bahamian public to deter travel to all affected regions.
On Friday, the Chinese government, in the face of international criticism that its government had responded slowly and withheld information concerning the SARS outbreak, in an "extraordinary move," issued an apology.
"Our medical departments and our mass media suffered poor coordination," Li Liming, director of the Chinese Center for Disease Control, was quoted as saying.
"We weren't able to muster our forces in helping to provide everyone with scientific publicity and allowing the masses to get hold of this sort of information," he reportedly said.
SARS reportedly originated in a densely populated part of Asia, where people live close to animals, especially chickens and pigs, which are good virus incubators, allowing the disease to mutate and spread from animals to humans.
Meanwhile, even though SARS continues to spread worldwide, Minister Bethel stated at a press conference last week Wednesday that all persons must be on alert and local surveillance of the disease would be increased.
"There is no need for alarm in the public," Mr Bethel stressed. "Be reassured that the Ministry of Health and its various agencies are on alert, are appraised and are carrying out the appropriate surveillance programmes, in respect of the SARS problem. The Ministry will also be given updates at regular intervals as we move along."
The Health Minister noted that SARS, like other infectious viruses, requires "public awareness," and therefore, the Ministry will be asking travelers 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 Bahamian ports of entry to prevent the disease from entering The Bahamas.
"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," he said.
Most SARS cases appear to involve health-care workers caring for infected persons, including close family contacts.
Close contact implies 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 2 to 7 days.
The U.S. 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), x-ray findings of pneumonia or respiratory distress.
The victim must also have been within 2 to 7 days of the onset of symptoms: Traveled to mainland China, Hong Kong, Singapore, or Vietnam, and have had close contact with a person who has been infected with SARS.
Currently, prevention of new cases is based on individuals avoiding close contact with SARS- infected individuals and persons matching the case description for SARS, should be promptly evaluated by medical personnel and admitted to a hospital, and should also limit their interaction outside hospital settings.
The CDC website can be found at www.cdc.gov and the WHO at www.who.int.
By Tamara McKenzie, The Nassau Guardian
