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Friday, May 16, 2003
RP out of WHO Sars list May 20: health dep't
By Dante M. Fabian and Chris Navarro
CLARK ECOZONE -- Health officials are confident of meeting the requirement set by the World Health Organization (WHO) for the Philippines to be removed by May 20 from the list of countries affected by the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (Sars).
Health Secretary Manuel Dayrit announced this in a press conference Thursday afternoon at the Asean Aviation Forum on the Prevention and Control of Sars held at the Holiday Inn Resort in Clark Field.
He also said there are two additional Sars infections in the country, raising the total number of cases to 12.
"Of these 12, 4 have been imported: Adela Catalon, the foreigner and two from Taiwan and Singapore. The other 8 are local transmission," Dayrit explained.
The countries participating in the joint transnational fight to stop atypical pneumonia are Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam, China, Japan and Korea.
WHO officials, together with airport and aviation officials from Asean countries, also attended the two-day forum hosted by the Manila International Airport Authority (MIAA).
Tourism Secretary Richard Gordon said the forum provided the venue for participating countries to discuss and agree on protocols for the standard procedures to be implemented to effectively prevent the spread of Sars among the nations.
Gordon said the improved screening procedures in airports would give the travelers the confidence to travel to various countries knowing they are safe from the disease.
He added that Sars has dealt a significant blow to tourism in the Philippines causing losses in revenues amounting to P10 billion since its onset.
Edgardo C. Manda, Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) manager, said airport chiefs of Sars-affected countries discussed with participants the experience of their respective countries in taking measures to address the Sars problem.
Dayrit said the implication of the situation on the May 20 deadline set by WHO is easily attainable because at present there are no first generation and second generation Sars cases in the country.
Dr. Consolacion Quizon of the National Epidemiology Center (NEC) said evaluation done by a panel of experts showed there is presently no local transmission, whether at the first or second level.
Concerning the latest case of the 80-year-old man found to have pneumonia when he arrived in South Korea from Manila, Dayrit said a trace of the traveler's contacts showed he met with 10 persons, six of which were considered close and four casual.
None of the 10 developed fever or manifested any symptom of Sars.
Jean Marc Olive, WHO director for the Philippines, told reporters that the old man's fever is decreasing and he is responding well to treatment. This indicated that the man is definitely not a Sars case. He explained that there is no treatment for Sars at the moment.
The DOH has done tests on Adela Catalon and her father Mauricio, the only two Sars deaths in the country, and they were found positive for the corona virus. Adela was infected with Sars by the mother of her roommate in Toronto, Canada, where she worked as a nursing assistant.
Mauricio, considered the first local transmission of Sars in the country, died shortly after Adela.
His contacts have been quarantined and declared to be free of Sars.
"Until Friday, we have had 10 cases. Of the 10 cases, Adela and Mauricio Catalon of Pangasinan province had lab tests that showed they had the corona virus. They are the only two cases that died. The specimens were lung specimens," Dayrit said.
Quizon said one of the two cases here is a 34-year-old software technician from Taiwan who came in during the first of May.
He added that there is now strong coordination with private sector doctors and hospitals on the tracing of contacts of Sars victims.
According to Quizon, the May 20 deadline is really for the clearing of contacts of Adela and Mauricio.
Quizon added that all admissions in hospitals are suspected Sars cases.
The case of CY in Mabalacat was classified as Sars but not one of the patient's contacts showed symptoms of the disease.
All suspects have been discharged and only one remains in the hospital on treatment for another illness. Sun.Star Pampanga
(May 16, 2003 issue)
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