Suspected SARS patients rise to four, one in Medan

Suspected SARS patients rise to four, one in Medan

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

The Ministry of Health announced on Saturday two more patients
who were suspected of having been infected with Severe Acute
Respiratory Syndrome (SARS), bringing the number of patients with
the disease's symptoms to four.

The two patients are an Indonesian woman aged 35 and a
39-year-old woman from Guangzhou, China. They are currently under
observation at the Sulianti Saroso Infectious Diseases Hospital
(RSPI) in North Jakarta, along with the husband of the Chinese
woman.

The other patient is hospitalized at the Adam Malik hospital
in the North Sumatra capital of Medan.

Sjafii Ahmad, the SARS spokesperson at the ministry, said the
Chinese woman might had contracted the SARS virus from her
husband, who is being treated at RSPI.

A Japanese national may take the toll of SARS cases in
Indonesia to five after health officials in the North Sulawesi
capital of Manado said the person, aged 33, had been admitted to
Malalayang hospital on Thursday with SARS symptoms.

Physician Hens Mewengkang said the temperature of the Japanese
had returned to normal on Saturday, but he remained in an
isolation room.

Doctors at RSPI are also examining eight people who had
contact with visiting foreigners suspected of having SARS.

A person is classified as a "probable SARS" case if he or she
shows indications of coughing, breathing difficulties, sore
muscles, a fever of up to 38 degree Celsius and pneumonia and has
had contact with SARS patients.

Suspected SARS patient have the same symptoms except for
pneumonia.

Separately, the Sam Ratulangi Airport clinic in Manado has
assigned six doctors to anticipate the spread of SARS in the
province.

Clinic head Sutjipto said all passengers from SARS-hit
countries like Singapore, Hong Kong and China had to show their
medical records upon arrival.

He said the Japanese person was the only one to have been
detected with SARS symptoms so far.

Meanwhile, the administration of Tegal municipality in Central
Java had stepped up precautionary measures to prevent the spread
of the disease.

Local population office head Suroto Wiryadasana said on
Saturday his office had been collecting data on dozens of Tegal
natives who work in the SARS-affected countries such as Taiwan,
Singapore and Hong Kong.