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medpundit |
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Saturday, January 17, 2004When hundreds of passengers disembarked here recently from a train from nearby Guangzhou, they faced a gantlet of medical workers in face masks and white latex gloves. First the new arrivals walked in front of an infrared camera that measured the temperature of each person's skin and clothing; a health worker carefully watched a computer screen attached to the camera for the faces showing in red, indicating possible fever. A little farther along, a nurse directed people who looked the slightest bit unhealthy to another pair of nurses who took their temperatures using a digital ear thermometer; all children, regardless of health, also had to be checked with the thermometers, since the infrared cameras might not record their temperatures accurately. Finally, the arrivals were allowed to approach immigration officers and hand them their passports or identity cards, along with health cards distributed on the train. The cards asked for their recent travel histories and whether they had come in contact with the disease everyone here still fears: SARS. "We have screened out many people with flu and other respiratory infections," but none yet with SARS, said Dr. Henry Kong recently as he supervised the screening of the train passengers. ....Because SARS victims spread the virus most quickly when they are very sick, Hong Kong has declared a 'yellow alert.' SARS tests are conducted on anyone who contracts pneumonia; hundreds of isolation wards are now available for people who may be suspected of having the disease. Tourists and residents alike are being reminded to wash their hands frequently, which Dr. Lam Ping-yan, Hong Kong's health director, describes as the most important measure people can take. Tour guides have been briefed on how to prevent SARS, and hotels have been told to clean public areas more frequently. Roads and alleys remain almost spotless after a cleaning campaign during the last outbreak, but battalions of street cleaners are still at work, and the city is stepping up its already considerable efforts to trap or poison rats. But that's nothing compared to a "red alert": Hong Kong is prepared to declare a "red alert" and take tougher measures if any SARS cases actually surface in its own territory. Revisions to the health laws give extensive powers to the police in tracking down SARS patients and people they associate with and quarantining them. That may seem like overkill, but Hong Kong did have 300 deaths from SARS last year, and given its tendency to be especially virulent among healthcare workers, it strained their hospitals terribly. Their vigilance is understandable. posted by Sydney on 1/17/2004 08:24:00 AM 0 comments 0 Comments: |
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