1. LAW: 50 pt, 2 cols, 4 x 12
1. LAW: 50 pt, 2 cols, 4 x 12
Council to join
Sutiyoso in
opposing direct
election
2. FIRE: 36 pt, 3 cols, 2 x 26
Fire damages Chinese temple
in Angke, six killed
3. KPUD: 28 pt, 3 cols, 1 x 33
Four hundred sign up for KPUD
4. SARS: 28 pt, 4 cols, 1 x 40
Doctors handling SARS cases vulnerable
"As a human being, of course I am afraid of being infected,"
said Dr. Sardikin Giriputro, head of the SARS treatment center at
the Sulianti Saroso Hospital for Infectious Disease in Sunter,
North Jakarta.
Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome, or better known as SARS,
has become a mysterious killer bug contaminating many countries
in the world from Singapore to Slovenia, as reported by the World
Health Organization.
"But we have the universal alert standard of procedures (SOP)
on treating patients with such infectious diseases, so if we
follow all the procedures, hopefully we will not get infected,"
said Dr. Sardikin.
The SOP, he said, includes washing hands, wearing masks and
treating patient wastes carefully.
"So far, the worst thing I ever experienced in treating
patients with infectious diseases has been only to catch the
ordinary flu," said Dr. Sardikin.
"People will not easily get infected with any disease as long
as they have good body resistance," said Dr. Wiwin Heruwiyono of
St. Carolus Hospital in Salemba, Central Jakarta, "But as a human
being, of course I have such a fear."
"So I have to keep my body in a good conditions and practice
good personal hygiene," said Dr. Wiwin.
"Actually, even on facing normal cases, if a doctor is not in
a good conditions it would be better for him not to handle any
patients," he said.
Dr. Tjandra Yoga Aditama, Director of Medics at the
Persahabatan Hospital, East Jakarta, who is also a pulmonologist,
said that no over-reactive precautions should be taken by
paramedics yet.
"So far we have not found any SARS cases here. But of course
following the SOP is necessary," said Dr. Tjandra, who doubts
that Indonesia -- which geographically is very close to Singapore
-- has no cases of SARS yet.
WHO doctor Carlo Urbani was the first to have warned the world
of the highly contagious pneumonia disease. Three weeks later,
the Italian infectious disease specialist who treated some of the
earliest cases of SARS had succumbed of the disease in a Bangkok
hospital.
He left a wife, Giuliana, and his three sons.
A Singapore General Hospital (SGH) doctor was diagnosed with
SARS on Sunday, as reported by The Straits Times, while 16 SGH
staff members have been warded at the Tan Tock Seng Hospital --
Singapore center hospital for SARS -- on suspicion of having
SARS.
In such an outbreak, paramedics have the highest risk of being
infected because they have the most intensive contact with
patients.
By the end of March, about 900 cases were reported in
Guangdong, China. About 45 percent were paramedics who were
handling the SARS cases.
So far, no SARS case has been reported found in Indonesia.
5. SPEAK: 28 pt, 4 cols, 1 x 40
'Sars, a conspiracy to manipulate dumb citizens'