WHO: Stay on the lookout
BY SUSAN TAMPETALING JAYA: The World Health Organisation (WHO) has strongly advised countries to strengthen their surveillance efforts even though the SARS situation worldwide appears to be improving, as there is still a lack of information on the deadly virus.
WHO Medical Officer for Global Alert and Response Dr Mark Salter said WHO was confident the measures taken by the international community to control the disease were effective, as the organisation had seen a significant decrease in cases around the world.
“But now is not the time to relax with it (SARS) tapering off, but to strengthen and redouble efforts to ensure we detect every case.
“We are hoping in the next few months to say that we have completely eradicated the virus, but we will not yet be bold enough to do so as we do not have information to say that,” he told a press briefing on the WHO Global Meeting on SARS here yesterday.
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HEALTH TEST: Dr Jirapat Kanlayanaphotporn (right) and Dr Kumnuan Ungchusak being checked by Health Ministry staff Monday. Both are from Thailand's Ministry of Public Health. |
“Experts will also look at the need to develop a new diagnostic test to detect the cases early, find out how the virus interacts with its human host, its possible links to wildlife, whether or not it is seasonal and whether the severe outbreaks will reoccur in winter,” he said.
He said the meeting would help fill in “information gaps” on the disease with the sharing of experience between top medical experts, adding that it would also achieve better collaboration between countries to tackle the mysterious virus.
He said many issues needed to be considered, such as the evaluation process, types of vaccine and the delivery system, before a vaccine could be developed for SARS.
When asked whether Taiwan’s request to have its travel advisory lifted would be granted, he said WHO’s director-general would review the advisory and the decision would be announced today.
At a separate press conference, Taiwan’s Disease Control Centre director-general Ih-Jen Su said Taiwan had appealed to WHO for the revision of the advisory as it had carried out various measures to contain SARS.
“However, the biggest challenge for Taiwan is to differentiate between SARS and other types of flu-like illnesses as the flu season will begin in the coming winter,” he said, adding that the government would embark on a flu vaccination programme.
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