SARS: Numbers down, but govt remains vigilant<\/p>\n
The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
As of Sunday, only three suspected Severe Acute Respiratory
\nSyndrome (SARS) patients were being treated in hospitals across
\nthe country, but an official warned that it was too early to
\ndeclare that the spread of the virus had passed its peak.<\/p>\n
The latest figure followed the confirmation by Indonesian
\nofficials on Saturday that a British man with the country's only
\nknown probable case of SARS had flown to Hong Kong the day
\nbefore, although he had been ordered to stay at his home in
\nIndonesia for 10 to 14 days for monitoring purposes.<\/p>\n
The figure, however, did not include one person with SARS-like
\nsymptoms, who had disappeared from her room in Sanglah hospital
\nin Denpasar, Bali.<\/p>\n
Indonesia has had no confirmed SARS cases so far.<\/p>\n
The director for epidemiology surveillance, immunization and
\nhealth at the Ministry of Health, Indriyono, said on Sunday that
\nalthough the number of cumulative cases appeared to be declining,
\nthe government would continue its precautionary measures.<\/p>\n
\"As time goes by, and with better understanding of SARS,
\nparticularly among health officials, the government has been
\nconfident as to whether or not to declare a symptomatic
\nindividual as a probable SARS case, and (whether or not they)
\nmust be isolated. But this doesn't mean SARS cases have decreased
\nin number or even that we have passed the worst,\" he told The
\nJakarta Post.<\/p>\n
When SARS was declared a worldwide threat by the World Health
\nOrganization (WHO) on March 15, Indonesia started to report
\nseveral cases that were suspected to be SARS.<\/p>\n
On April 11, the number of suspected SARS patients receiving
\nisolated treatment at hospitals reached eight, but a government
\nverification team later declared that many of them were not
\ninfected with SARS and that they suffered from other illnesses.<\/p>\n
Indriyono added that the government had no intention of easing
\nits preventative measures against SARS, such as those at air and
\nsea ports and hospitals, at least until mid-May.<\/p>\n
\"We don't know when SARS will be over. We are still
\nmonitoring the developments in Hong Kong and China, and will stay
\nin touch with WHO until mid-May. If the disease continues to
\nspread, we will maintain the present measures for another month,\"
\nhe said.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, microbiologist Amin Soebandrio at the University of
\nIndonesia and Taufan Situmeang, a senior doctor at Siloam
\nGleneagles Hospital in Tangerang, Banten, said the hot climate
\nand the housing system here may have made Indonesia relatively
\nsafe from a SARS outbreak.<\/p>\n
\"Indonesia is not like Singapore. Although the climate in
\nSingapore is hot like here, many Singaporeans live in apartments,
\nmaking it easy for the disease to spread through close contact
\nwith SARS-infected individuals,\" Amin told the Post.<\/p>\n
Amin says that the coronavirus that causes the pneumonia-like
\ndisease could survive in hot climates for only between two to
\nthree hours, but could live longer in damp or cool climates.<\/p>\n
Nevertheless, the two experts agreed that the government
\nshould not ease its preventative measures.<\/p>\n
As of Sunday, SARS, which is fatal in about four percent of
\ncases, had infected over 3,500 people in the world and had
\nclaimed over 200 lives.<\/p>",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
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