Health Ministry monitoring passengers from SARS affected areas
Stabroek News
April 3, 2003
The Ministry of Health says it is monitoring any persons who may have travelled into Guyana from the areas mainly affected by the world- wide outbreak of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS).
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), SARS is a virus that affects the respiratory tract (lungs), causing a dry cough, shortness of breath, stiffness, fever, loss of appetite and malaise. The symptoms are very similar to those associated with the flu, except that SARS can appear as pneumonia in chest x-rays.
A release from the Ministry said that the epidemic continues to spread and as of April 1, a cumulative total of 1,804 cases of SARS and 62 deaths were reported from 15 countries namely Australia, Belgium, Canada, China (including Hong Kong), Taiwan, France, Germany, Italy, the Republic of Ireland, Romania, Singapore, Switzerland, Thailand, the United Kingdom, the United States and Vietnam. This represents an increase of 182 cases and 4 deaths compared to the previous day.
China remains the country with the largest number of cases, the majority occurring in Guangdong Province and Hong Kong.
The transmission dynamics of the causal agents are still not clearly understood says the release and the majority of persons with the disease were linked either directly or indirectly to individuals who were in close contact with a SARS case, the release said.
Even though the majority of cases of the disease are primarily limited to travellers and persons who have had close contact with SARS patients, concern has been expressed that there may exist the potential for community spread, which may occur through infected droplets or other objects contaminated with the virus.
The ministry suggests persons planning non-essential travel to affected areas may wish to postpone their trip until further notice, says the release.
