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Monday, April 21, 2003
Philippines records first probable Sars death (2:32 pm)
MANILA -- A 46-year-old nursing assistant who died a week ago was probably the first victim of the deadly Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (Sars), the government said Monday.
The woman, who had worked at an old people's home in the Canadian city of Toronto, had returned to this country on April 3 and died in Manila on April 14, Health Secretary Manuel Dayrit told a news conference.
The victim is believed to have contracted Sars from her roommate's mother in Canada, he said.
Dayrit said the Health Department had already traced all the people in the Philippines that the deceased woman had come into contact with and that they were being observed and counseled.
He stressed that there was still no documented case of anyone catching the disease in the Philippines.
Dayrit said another probable Sars case, a 64-year-old foreigner and frequent traveler to Hong Kong, had recovered and was discharged from hospital in Manila.
Some 206 people have died of Sars so far and more than 4,000 people are confirmed or suspected to have been infected by the disease in around 30 countries since the crisis erupted.
The vast majority of cases have been in China and Hong Kong, with the former British colony seeing an alarming surge in deaths over the past seven days.
Despite the first probable Sars death, Dayrit said the government was not imposing any travel ban to and from Sars-affected countries, saying this would give people "a false sense of security."
Manila is maintaining its advisory, telling people to postpone "non-essential travel to Sars-affected countries," he said.
In a speech to local officials, President Arroyo called on the public to "stay calm and informed, and avoid panicked reactions to false alarms" arising from the Sars crisis.
"We can contain the threat of Sars if we maintain prudent vigilance and work together," she said. AFP
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