Doctors handling SARS cases vulnerable
Doctors handling SARS cases vulnerable
Sari P. Setiogi, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
"As a human being, of course I am afraid of being infected,"
said Dr. Sardikin Giriputro, head of the SARS treatment center at
Sulianti Saroso Hospital for Infectious Diseases in Sunter, North
Jakarta.
Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome, better known by its acronym
SARS, has become a mysterious killer bug spreading to many
countries in the world from Singapore to Slovenia, as reported by
the World Health Organization.
"But we have the universal alert standard operating procedure
(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 waste carefully.
"So far, the worst thing I have experienced in treating
patients with infectious diseases has been to catch a common
cold," said Dr. Sardikin.
"People will not easily contract any disease as long as they
have good resistance," said Dr. Wiwin Heruwiyono of St. Carolus
Hospital in Salemba, Central Jakarta, "But as a human being, of
course I am afraid."
"So I have to keep myself in good health and practice good
personal hygiene," said Dr. Wiwin.
"Actually, even in facing normal cases, if a doctor is not in
a good condition it would be better for him not to handle any
patients," he said.
Dr. Tjandra Yoga Aditama, Medical Director at Persahabatan
Hospital, East Jakarta, who is also a pulmonologist, said that no
extra precautions need be taken by medical personnel as 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 any cases of SARS yet.
WHO doctor Carlo Urbani was the first to have warned the world
of the highly contagious form of pneumonia. 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 behind 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, medical personnel 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 medical personnel who
were handling the SARS patients.
So far, there have been no reports of a SARS case found in
Indonesia.