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SARS Bulletin (17 April 2003)
The SARS is an acute respiratory infection that has recently been reported in a number of regions, including Hong Kong. It is a form of atypical pneumonia caused by a new pathogen, a new member of the coronavirus family. There is no evidence that the disease is airborne. 2. The main symptoms include fever (of 38 degrees Celsius or above), malaise, chills, headache and body ache. Chest X-rays show changes compatible with pneumonia. Other symptoms include coughing, diarrhoea, shortness of breath or difficulty in breathing. The incubation period is typically 2 to 7 days, but can be up to 10 days.
3. As at 16 April, a total of 1,268 patients have been admitted to public hospitals with the SARS. Of these, 298 (23.5%) are health care workers or medical students while 970 (76.5%) are patients, family members or visitors/contacts. A total of 257 patients (20.3%) have recovered and been discharged from public hospitals, of whom 14 were discharged on 16 April. There are 61 fatal cases (4.8%), most of them had a history of chronic diseases or sought treatment at a relatively late stage of infection. 4. Currently available information has shown that male to female ratio of the SARS patients is 1:1.3. When excluding healthcare workers, the male to female ratio reduces to 1:1.1. Less than 5% of them are below 10 years of age and about 15% are aged 60 and over. About half of the patients are residing in Kwun Tong and Sha Tin Districts. Most of the patients from these districts are residents of Amoy Gardens in Kwun Tong and healthcare workers from a hospital located in Sha Tin District. There are 324 patients living in Amoy Gardens, accounting for 25.6% of all the cases. The situation in Amoy Gardens has however stabilised, with only 8 new cases from 14 to 16 April. The situation is also reflected in the epidemic curve below, which shows the date of onset of 1,152 patients. 
Measure Body Temperature of Passengers 5. With effect from April 17, all passengers departing at the Hong Kong International Airport will be required to have their body temperature taken before check-in. Any outbound passengers with a body temperature of over 38 degrees Celsius would be required to seek medical advice. Passengers who have fever or symptoms suggestive of SARS should not board a plane. 6. The measure may bring some inconvenience to the passengers but it is essential for control of the disease by preventing people likely to be infected from leaving Hong Kong. The measure is also in line with the World Health Organisation travel advice that people departing from affected areas should be screened for possible SARS at the point of departure. As the check-in time may take longer, departing passengers are advised to arrive at the airport earlier. Passengers are advised to check with their carriers for lead-time required prior to flight departure. Information on measures for outbound passengers is available on the Airport Authority's homepage (http://www.hongkongairport.com). Class Resumption 7. The Education and Manpower Bureau (EMB) announced on 16 April that Secondary Three level and above of secondary schools would resume classes on 22 April as scheduled, whereas classes for other levels of secondary schools, primary and special schools, and kindergartens will continue to suspend for one week and resumption is tentatively scheduled for April 28. 8. EMB will issue to schools today a comprehensive manual reiterating the various precautionary measures against SARS, such as the necessity for schools to cleanse their premises on daily basis, and teachers and students to pay heed to personal hygiene. Schools are also reminded that tuckshop, catering, school bus and nanny bus services must maintain health standards to the highest. In addition, EMB will initiate a school cleansing campaign on 20 April, and will call on parents to join forces to help out with school cleansing work. 9. Upon class resumption, EMB will demand that schools observe strictly a series of preventive measures against the occurrence of SARS on their premises. These measures include:
Health Declaration 10. Since 29 March 2003, public health measures have been implemented at the airport, borders and ports to reduce imported cases. All incoming travelers are required to complete a health declaration form. Health alert cards are distributed to all passengers to heighten the awareness of the disease. As at 16 April, 736 passengers have reported sick since the implementation of these measures. Among the 14 passengers being referred to the Accident & Emergency Department for suspected SARS, 6 were admitted to hospitals. Home Confinement 11. Since 10 April, the Director of Health has required all household contacts of confirmed SARS patients to confine themselves at home for monitoring and treatment up to a maximum of 10 days. The purpose is to facilitate early detection and treatment of the household contacts of SARS patients and to containing the spread of the disease in the community. As at 16 April, a total of 463 persons (from 181 households) have been affected by this requirement. 12. To closely monitor their state of health, the Department of Health has been maintaining daily contact with the home confinees through telephone interviews. In addition, compliance checks are also carried out by the Department of Health and the Police to ensure that the confinees observe the requirement. 13. Implementation of the home confinement arrangement has so far been smooth. The majority of the confinees have stayed at home as required, and non-compliance requiring the issue of warning letters has been few in number. As at 16 April, the Department of Health has issued a total of 26 warning letters. Follow-up action showed that all these defaulters have complied and stayed at home. There has not been any need for removal of SARS contacts to appointed places under this scheme.
14. Control of the spread of the SARS will only be effective through concerted efforts of the Government and the community. We recommend the public should take the following steps to help prevent contracting the disease: -
15. To empower the public in fighting against the disease, the Department of Health has also issued advices and guidelines on prevention of the SARS for various sectors. Health education information is available on the 24-hour pre-recorded hotlines (2833 0111) and has been uploaded onto the Department of Health's homepage (http://www.info.gov.hk/dh). A hotline (187 2222) has also been provided for public enquiries.
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