Indonesia reports first SARS death

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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