Indonesia reports first SARS death
The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
The threat of the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) pandemic drew closer to home following the government's report of its first SARS-related death on Monday.
Spokesman of the Ministry of Health's verification team Syafii Ahmad said that a probable SARS patient died at Sulianti Saroso Infectious Diseases Hospital in North Jakarta on Saturday evening, and that nine people who had close contact with him were quarantined soon after his death.
"He was declared a probable SARS patient. He died late Saturday of multiple organ failure," said Syafii.
The announcement came after days of reports suggesting that the number of suspected SARS patients was decreasing, which had led the public to believe that the virus had been contained.
The report also came just one day before the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) meeting in Bangkok, Thailand, where regional leaders, including President Megawati Soekarnoputri, are to draw up a a common plan on how to contain the disease that has claimed hundreds of lives worldwide.
The deceased, identified as a 56-year-old Taiwanese businessman, arrived in Jakarta on April 17 from Taipei and was admitted on April 23 with a fever at Husada Hospital in Central Jakarta. The hospital's medical workers did not suspect the possibility of a SARS infection until April 26, when the patient's health deteriorated.
"As his condition worsened on April 26, he was transferred to Sulianti Saroso Infectious Diseases Hospital at 10.30 p.m., but he died one hour after being admitted for treatment there," Syafii said.
The patient's remains has been transferred to Cipto Mangunkusumo Hospital for an autopsy. The autopsy report is expected to be completed on Wednesday.
Syafii also said Husada hospital had been disinfected to avoid any possible spread of the virus, while six medical officials who had treated the patient and his three roommates had been quarantined at their homes.
"I hope residents in the surrounding neighborhoods do not panic. The isolation of those who had direct contact with the deceased does not mean they are infected with SARS," he said.
As of Monday, Indonesia has had three probable SARS cases, of which one has died, one has left for Hong Kong, and one is being treated at Adam Malik Hospital in Medan, North Sumatra.
A 22-year-old Indonesian is under observation at Sulianti Saroso hospital for fever.
SARS has claimed at least 318 lives and infected over 5,000 people worldwide, while a vaccine for the disease is expected sometime next year.
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