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Wednesday, April 30, 2003
DOH chief cancels blood test: no Sars
By Linette C. Ramos
CEBU -- Blood samples and other specimens taken from the immigration officer who died last Sunday will not be tested for the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (Sars) virus because he was never a suspect case, a health official said.
No less than Health Secretary Manuel Dayrit declared that RL (real name withheld to protect his family) was not a suspected case of Sars after being briefed on the health condition of the patient.
Two people, who were suffering from cough and traveled recently to Japan and Paris, underwent a checkup at the North General Hospital (NGH) in Talamban, Cebu City Tuesday and were admitted for observation.
Initially, however, Dr. Ilya Abellanosa Tac-an said they were not considered “rule-in suspects” for Sars.
Dr. Junjie Zuasula, regional epidemiologist of the Department of Health 7, said the Research Institute for Tropical Medicine (RITM) will not accept for testing RL’s blood samples since the patient was not a Sars suspect.
RL died last Sunday after he suffered complications of diabetes, acute myocardial infarction or heart attack, severe pneumonia and advanced stage of pulmonary tuberculosis.
“Secretary Dayrit himself said it is not Sars because he knew from the start what the patient’s illnesses were. So when I called RITM, they said there is no need to subject the specimens for confirmatory testing because the patient did not die of Sars,” he told Sun.Star.
Zuasula reiterated that Cebu is still Sars-free so there is no cause for alarm among the public.
RL’s pulmonologist at NGH was also admitted at the hospital last Saturday after she complained of fever.
Zuasula stressed, though, that the doctor was already feverish and was suffering from sore throat prior to RL’s admission at NGH last Wednesday.
The doctor asked to be admitted so she could rest and was also released last Sunday.
Dr. Robertino Esplanada, medical director of the NGH, refused to talk about the condition of RL’s pulmonologist.
“Why are you calling me and asking me about this? I am not a public servant,” he said in a phone interview.
Meanwhile, Dr. Tac-an, Cebu City epidemiologist, said they immediately ruled out the two foreigners of having Sars since they did not fit in the case definition of Sars suspects.
Although the 30-year-old French national, an NGO worker and permanent Philippine resident, is feverish and has cough, his history of travel to Paris was in March yet.
Upon admission last Monday, doctors attributed the cough and fever to the patient’s respiratory problems.
The Cebu City Health Office also did not rule in the 28-year-old Japanese man as a suspect when he was admitted Tuesday since he did not have fever and cough.
His travel to Japan was also more than 10 days ago.
Both patients are confined at the NGH for further observation.
“We did not even classify them as rule-in suspects because they were only feverish and their history of travel was in March yet. They really did not fit in the case definition of Sars suspects so we ruled out the possibility of Sars immediately,” Tac-an told Sun.Star. Sun.Star Cebu
(April 30, 2003 issue)
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