Family of Medan SARS patient still in quarantine

Family of Medan SARS patient still in quarantine

Apriadi Gunawan and Evi Mariani, The Jakarta Post, Medan/Jakarta

Eight family members of a probable SARS case in Medan, North
Sumatra, have all been either confined to hospital or placed in
quarantine in their homes to prevent the killer disease from
spreading.

North Sumatra Health Office chief Herman Sadeck said on
Thursday that three family members who had brought the probable
SARS case to hospital were now in quarantine in the Adam Malik
Hospital, while five others were not allowed to leave their
homes.

The quarantine period started Thursday and would continue for
the next 10 days. The SARS virus's incubation period is between
two and 14 days.

Herman said those placed under quarantine at home could order
food and whatever else they needed from health officers. "Also,
at the moment, our health officers are monitoring their condition
around the clock."

The condition of the probable SARS patient is reportedly
improving.

Aside from the eight people, seven health workers at the
Gleneagles Hospital in Medan, where the probable SARS patient was
first brought, have been asked to stay home and will not be
allowed to work for 10 days.

The hospital's public relations officer, Hartono Taslim, said
the seven all had direct contact with the patient.

As another preventive measure, the hospital has also
disinfected all its medical equipment in accordance with World
Health Organization (WHO) and health ministry recommended
procedures

The probable SARS patient arrived at Polinia Airport on 10
April and started getting sick on April 17. He was brought to the
Gleneagles Hospital on April 21.

Upon finding that he had SARS-like symptoms, including a high
fever, muscle pains and a dry cough, the hospital referred him to
the designated-SARS hospital, the Adam Malik Hospital.

Herman said that the hotel had already been disinfected.

Meanwhile in Jakarta, Syafii Ahmad, the SARS spokesperson at
the health ministry, said that the ministry was sending a three-
member investigative team to Medan. The three would assist Medan
health officials, and take a blood sample from the patient.

He also told reporters that a new suspected SARS case in the
Sulianti Saroso Infectious Diseases Hospital in North Jakarta was
reported on Thursday.

"He is a 45-year-old Chinese citizen, a businessman who
arrived from Guangdong, China," said Syafii. "On his third day
here in Jakarta, he got sick and reported to the Sulianti Saroso
Hospital."

He added that although the case had not yet been designated "a
probable", a SARS investigative team had been tracing his flight
and movements during his stay in the city.

The SARS global report issued by WHO on April 23 showed that
4,288 people had been infected and 251 of them had died.

Regionally, southeast Asian countries plus South Korea, Japan
and China will hold an inter-ministerial meeting on April 25 in
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, to discuss joint measures to tackle the
deadly disease. On April 29, those countries will hold a
heads-of-state meeting on the same topic.

Minister of Health Achmad Sujudi said on Thursday that besides
discussing possible joint measures, especially at ports of entry,
he would raise the issue of Indonesian migrant workers in SARS-
affected areas.