In Singapore, a 27-year-old was discovered to be ill, isolation from the wards where he was hospitalized was considered; The health organization warns of a renewed outbreak
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The first case of Sars was discovered in Singapore, just hours after the World Health Organization warned that the deadly virus could reappear. The Minister of Health said this morning (Tuesday) that tests revealed that the 27-year-old hospitalized in the country had contracted the disease.
A spokesman for the World Health Organization said that the new case of SARS does not pose a threat to public health. "This is not an emergency," said Dick Thompson of the UN agency.
The Sars epidemic, which originated in southern China, spread in early 2003 to 30 countries by travelers passing through the area. The disease has affected nearly 8,500 people worldwide, killing more than 800, including 33 in Singapore, where the government has enforced strict health control measures.
On July 5, the World Health Organization announced that the epidemic was contained worldwide. The organization removed Singapore from the list of countries affected by SARS on May 31, about three weeks after the country's last SARS patient was isolated.
A spokeswoman for Singapore's Ministry of Health said the person who fell ill, of Chinese origin, was admitted to the Singapore General Hospital but is now in isolation at Tan Tock Seng Hospital on the island. Senior officials in Singapore's health system are testing people who may have come into contact with the hospitalized patient.
Only a few hours before Singapore announced its concern about the new case of the SARS disease, Lee Jong-wook, head of the World Health Organization, warned at a gathering of health experts in Manila, about the possibility of a renewed outbreak of the epidemic and called on countries to increase surveillance. Senior officials at the World Health Organization said that they are not sure if Sars, for which no cure has yet been found, is a disease limited to the winter months only. "The virus is still out there," said Peter Cordingley, the World Health Organization's public information officer for the Western Pacific region.
The virus, which is believed to have passed from animals to humans last year, has caused billions of dollars in damage and slowed economic growth across Asia. The epidemic severely damaged the economy partly because it caused a sharp drop in the number of tourists. In Singapore, the epidemic caused the worst economic recession ever in the second quarter of the year (April to June).
During the recent outbreak of the SARS epidemic in Singapore, about 8,000 people were placed in isolation. The Singaporean government has taken aggressive measures to contain the disease, conducting temperature checks at border crossings, hospitals and hotels, and installing closed-circuit televisions in homes to enforce isolation.
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