SARS: No New Probable Case

14 May 2003

There are no new probable cases, discharges or deaths reported today. The number of patients who have recovered from SARS still stands at 157, with 19 patients still hospitalised and 8 of them in intensive care.

Institute of Mental Health (IMH)

Situation Update

There are currently 27 patients and 10 staff warded in TTSH for observation of fever. The patients are from Wards 64, 65, 35 and 50B. There have been no discharges from the group admitted to Tan Tock Seng Hospital (TTSH).

Follow-up appointments for outpatients

Outpatients who may miss their follow-up appointments as a result of the closure of the outpatients' clinic at IMH will be contacted progressively by IMH staff. From 16 May 2003, Friday, these patients will be seen at Alexandra Psychiatric Outpatient Clinic along Viking Road. This clinic will open from 8am to 8pm and will be manned by a team of nurses and a psychiatrist who have not been in IMH's premises since 23 April 2003.

Hotel Accommodation for IMH Staff

124 IMH staff members moved into holding accommodation from Housing Board's flats in Woodlands last night but all IMH staff will be provided with accommodation in hotels from today. IMH senior management will like to ensure that their healthcare workers' well being and needs are catered for as the welfare and morale of our healthcare workers is especially important during this period, All IMH staff members who are being relocated are currently well and not infectious. They are at low risk for contracting SARS and will still continue to care for patients under their charge at IMH.

All IMH staff will have their temperature monitored thrice daily. During their stay at the hotel, they will stay in their rooms and will not have any visitors or use the hotel's facilities.

Update on Bowen Secondary School

The 14-year-old student from Bowen Secondary School who was admitted to TTSH on 10 May 2003 for atypical pneumonia is responding to antibiotics. Six of her seven schoolmates from Bowen who were admitted for observation of fever have been discharged. The illness of the 14-year-old student and her seven schoolmates is not SARS related.

Reports of Foreigners Contracting SARS in Singapore

The Malaysian Health Ministry had notified MOH of a probable SARS case involving a 31-year-old Malaysian who lives in Johor Bahru and works as a chef at a hotel in Singapore. His last visit to Singapore was on 30 April 2003.

On 6 May 2003, he developed fever, cough and shortness of breath and was admitted to Ipoh Hospital. From our check with the patient on 10 May 2003, he confirmed that he only visited a private hospital in Singapore where he had a medical appointment for a knee injury on 29 April 2003. He was found to be afebrile on that day. Based on our investigations, he did not have any contact with a known SARS patient in Singapore.

At the Singapore hotel where he works, all staff are required to have their temperatures taken before work. From 22 April - 9 May 2003, none of the staff at the hotel were down with fever, including those working with the patient in the kitchen.

Suspect Cases

There are no new suspect cases today.

New Observation Cases

There were 4 admissions today for observation.

They comprise 2 travellers, and 1 inpatient from National University Hospital (NUH) and 1 person who has contact with travellers during the course of his work.

Quarantine Figures*

#Discharged patients under home quarantine = 486

Contacts under home quarantine = 91

Total under home quarantine orders = 577

*Quarantine cases refer to those who are required to stay at home for precautionary reasons as they may have had contact with a SARS patient. These are healthy individuals.

# This is an added precautionary measure for discharged SARS patients as well as those with co-morbidities.

Summary of SARS Cases

Discharged: 157

Hospitalised: 19 (including 8 in ICU)

Deaths: 28

Probable cases: 205*

Suspect cases: 2

Observation cases: 15 + 37 from IMH cluster

Travel Advisory

MOH urges the public to heed the World Health Organisation (WHO)'s advice to postpone travel to Beijing, Hong Kong, Guangdong, Shanxi, and Taipei until another time.