The SARS (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome) Task Force, under the chairmanship of Secretary for Health, Welfare and Food, Dr Yeoh Eng-kiong, today (August 26) endorsed the measures to prevent and prepare for the possible resurgence of SARS.
The task force, with representation from the Department of Health (DH), Hospital Authority (HA) and microbiological experts from the University of Hong Kong and Chinese University of Hong Kong, was formed in March this year to deliberate issues relating to the SARS epidemic.
In its meeting today, members re-examined the measures as part of its ongoing review in the light of the recent outbreak of acute respiratory illness in an elderly residential care facility in British Columbia, Canada.
Dr Yeoh was pleased to note that prompt actions had been undertaken by DH in response to the Canadian incident where 96 residents and 51 staff had been affected and 11 deaths reported.
Although the World Health Organisation confirmed British Columbia's findings that SARS was not the cause of the incident, Dr Yeoh stressed the need to remain vigilant with the preventive measures as long as the threat of SARS remained.
"We should closely monitor the health situation of elderly home residents by strengthening the current outbreak reporting and health surveillance as SARS is known to cause atypical presentations in the elderly," he added.
Dr Yeoh said border surveillance measures would continue until early next year to prevent import of cases.
The meeting also discussed the setting up of an enhanced surveillance system for SARS and an early alert system to detect possible reintroduction of SARS. HA would step up the monitoring of staff fallen ill with symptoms similar to SARS while DH would improve notification by elderly homes of ill residents.
Since the control of SARS, DH and HA had been actively reviewing their measures with a view to putting in place effective preventive and control measures as well as a sensitive response system in preparation for a possible come back of the epidemic.
At today's meeting, Dr Yeoh noted the progress of the review and agreed that the measures should be put in place as soon as practicable to meet unforeseen and future challenges as the Canadian event had already rung a bell.
These measures were broadly classified into two categories -- public health and hospital services. Details of the measures were set out at annex (pdf format).
On the public health front, appropriate measures would be implemented in the areas of preventing the import or export of new cases; extending disease surveillance in the international and local contexts; controlling the disease; and enhancing public awareness of personal and environmental hygiene.
As regards hospital services, plans were in hand for enhancing the public hospital systems in the following areas: surveillance of infectious diseases; clinical management; infection control measures; care for the elderly; strategy for cohorting patients; infection control facilities; human resources capabilities in handling infectious diseases; and contingency plans in the hospitals.
On the setting up a CDC-type organisation to build up strengths in the longer-term prevention and control of infectious diseases, members noted various options were still being studied and the views of the SARS Expert Committee would be taken into account when its report was to be released in October.
"The SARS epidemic has provided a good opportunity for us to review the weaknesses and strengths of our public health care system," Dr Yeoh said.
"To prepare for future challenges, it is of utmost importance to build up the capacity of our communicable disease surveillance and response system," he said.
End/Tuesday, August 26, 2003
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