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13 May 2003
Situation Update
There are no new probable cases today. There is an additional discharge today. The number of patients who have recovered from SARS is 157. 19 patients remain hospitalised, of whom 8 are in intensive care.
Cluster of Patients and HCW at Institute of Mental Health (IMH) down with fever
A cluster of 24 patients and 6 nurses of the Institute of Mental Health have developed fever which was detected over the two-day period from 11th to 12th May. Of these, 23 patients were from Ward 64 and 1 from ward 65. They have been referred to TTSH for further assessment. All of them, except three nurses who were given medical leave, have been warded for observation. Two doctors who had worked in the same wards were referred to TTSH for assessment today. This large cluster of cases has to be assumed to be due to SARS until proven otherwise. Epidemiological studies are underway to try to identify a possible source of infection.
Active contact tracing is being carried out. All patients who were discharged from IMH from 23rd April till 2 May will be recalled for medical review at TTSH. For those discharged from 3rd May onwards, they will be put under Home Quarantine for a period of 10 days starting from 13th May. Home and close contacts of the febrile staff and patients will also be put under Home Quarantine.
In addition, IMH will implement the following preventive measures with immediate effect to limit any exposure of the community:
- No admission of new patients
- No discharge of current inpatients
- No movements of patients and staff across wards. No referral of inpatients to other hospitals. Urgent medical problems will be managed by TTSH
- Closure of its outpatient services
- Closure of its Accident and Emergency services
Existing inpatients who are currently being treated in IMH will continue to be managed there. All IMH staff will also be closely monitored through thrice daily temperature measurements. As an added precautionary measure, all IMH staff will be housed in designated stand-alone housing flats for 10 days. Although the staff are currently well, the IMH senior management and staff have decided on this measure to facilitate close monitoring to ensure their well being as well as to minimise contact with the community and their loved ones.
Update at Bowen Secondary School
A 14-year-old student from Bowen Secondary School was admitted to TTSH on 10 May 03 for atypical pneumonia. She has no contact history with SARS patients or travel history to SARS affected areas. Her fever has settled and she is responding to antibiotics. This indicates that the cause of her atypical pneumonia is unlikely to be due to SARS but to a bacterial infection.
As a precautionary measure, contact tracing was carried out among her contacts at school. A total of 7 students have been admitted to TTSH over the past two days for observations. The other contacts will continue to be monitored closely.
Pasir Panjang Wholesale Centre situation update
There have been no new admissions of suspect SARS patients who may be related to the PPWC cluster. 1 worker has been admitted for observation.
New Suspect Cases
There are no new suspect cases today.
New Observation Cases
There were 31 people admitted today as observation cases. They comprise 3 patients who had travelled to SARS-affected areas recently, 24 patients and 3 nurses from IMH and 1 patient whose contact history has not been established.
Quarantine Figures*
#Discharged patients under home quarantine: 461
Contacts under home quarantine: 206
Total under home quarantine orders: 667
*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
A summary of the SARS cases to date:
Discharged: 157
Hospitalised: 19 (including 8 in intensive care)
Deaths: 28
Total No. of Probable Cases: 205*
Total No. of Suspect Cases: 3
Total No. of Observation Cases: 17
IMH Cluster: 27
*includes 1 case who died from non-SARs causes
Travel advisory
MOH urges the public to heed the World Health Organisation (WHO)'s advice to postpone travel to Beijing, Hong Kong, Guangdong, Inner Mongolia, Shanxi, Tianjin and Taipei until another time.