SARS: You Can Help By Taking Sensible Precautions

28 Mar 2003

Situation Update

As at 28 March 03, a total of 86 people with SARS have been reported to the Ministry of Health. Of the additional patients, 7 were close contacts of SARS cases; 4 hospital staff and 3 family members. These 7 cases are traced back to the index cases. The remaining case is a new index case who returned to Singapore from a trip to Hong Kong and Beijing, China. Epidemiological investigations are on-going.

To date, 25 patients have been discharged from hospital, 2 have died and the remaining 59 patients are hospitalised. All the patients are stable except for 12 patients who are in serious condition.

Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) is a new disease for which the cause has not yet been determined. People may perceive the risks of being infected by SARS differently. Some are complacent, while others overreact.

Precautionary measures by Singapore

Singapore has taken extra precautionary measures, beyond WHO's recommended control measures, to ensure that the spread is contained. These include isolating all suspected and SARS patients in TTSH, enhanced infection control measures for hospital staff and instituting home quarantine measures for those who have come into contact with people diagnosed with SARS. The key strategy is to identify suspect cases once they show symptoms of the disease and isolate them to prevent transmission to more people. The closure of schools is to allay the concerns of parents. We will step up efforts to help the public understand the nature of SARS and how they could help us in our efforts to minimise the risk of community spread.

SARS is not infectious until the person develops fever. Transmission of SARS is only through close contact with infected persons. We believe that if everyone exercises social responsibility, we can tackle the SARS outbreak here calmly, without too many disruptions to our normal routines.

We urge all people to help us in our efforts by taking these simple precautions.

- Heed our travel advisory and avoid travelling to Hong Kong, Hanoi and Guangdong province in China for the time being, unless absolutely necessary.

- If you have travelled to these places, be vigilant and seek immediate medical attention if you have fever (more than 38 degree celsius) and respiratory symptoms including cough, shortness of breath or breathing difficulty. Do not fly if you have developed such symptoms.

- If you think that you have been exposed to persons diagnosed with SARS, and later develop a fever, do not go to work. See a doctor immediately.

- Avoid crowded places if possible.