April 21, 2003 -- In a sign that China wants the world to know
it's taking the SARS (sudden acute respiratory syndrome) outbreak
very seriously, the government today sacked its health minister and
the major of Beijing who had initially played down the epidemic.
The firings came after a weekend in which Chinese officials
acknowledged an additional 448 undisclosed SARS cases, bringing the
total number of confirmed cases in China to 1,959 including 86
deaths.
The Chinese government also announced plans to tone down its
traditional weeklong May Day holiday to a single day of
celebration.
"The purpose of such an act is to prevent the massive movement of
people and the possible spread of the disease," says Gao Qiang, an
executive health minister, in a news release. The Communist May Day
holiday on May 1 traditionally attracts millions of celebrants to
travel across China.
An investigative team from the World Health Organization arrived in
Shanghai today to investigate the SARS outbreak in that major
shipping port where local officials have so far confirmed only two
cases of SARS. An earlier report from the WHO raised concerns that
health officials in many areas of China may not be prepared to
handle SARS and might not be reporting all probable cases of the
disease to Beijing authorities.
The WHO has also expressed concern over how the SARS outbreak seems
to taking a turn for the worst in Hong Kong. Over the weekend, a
record number of SARS patients (12) died in Hong Kong, and
officials say these deaths are occurring more frequently in young,
previously healthy people.
Local health officials in Hong Kong say a more severe form of SARS
has emerged among a cluster of 321 SARS cases that occurred among
residents of the Amoy Gardens apartment complex. About 20% of these
patients require more intensive medical care compared with the 10%
of other SARS patients that have required such care. Two-thirds of
the Amoy SARS cases have also developed diarrhea as a symptom of
their disease compared with 2% to 7% of cases in other
outbreaks.
In response to the continued spread of SARS in Asia, the CDC has
updated its travel guidelines to help travelers protect themselves
from SARS. Worldwide, 3,861 probable cases of SARS have been
reported to the WHO, including 217 deaths.
The CDC and WHO already have issued travel advisories recommending
that people postpone all non-essential travel to Hong Kong,
mainland China, Singapore, and Hanoi, Vietnam.
If travelers decide to go through with their travel to these areas
hardest hit by the SARS epidemic, the CDC advises the following
precautions:
Assemble a travel health kit containing basic first aid and medical
supplies. Be sure to include a thermometer, household disinfectant,
a supply of surgical masks, disposable gloves, and alcohol-based
hand rubs for hand hygiene.
Inform yourself and others who may be traveling with you about
SARS.
Be sure you are up to date with all your shots, and see your
healthcare provider at least four to six weeks before travel to get
any additional shots or information you may need.
You may wish to check your health insurance plan or get additional
insurance that covers medical evacuation in the event of
illness.
Identify in-country healthcare resources in advance of your
trip.
While travelers are in areas affected by SARS, they should wash
hands frequently with soap and water to minimize the risk of
illness. Alcohol-based hand rubs may be used as an
alternative.
To minimize the possibility of SARS infection, the CDC recommends
avoiding close contact with large numbers of people as much as
possible. But CDC does not recommend the routine use of masks while
in public areas.
