(The Standard
P.6 5 Apr 2013) What has China
learned in the years following the deadly (致命的)
SARS outbreak (爆發) that hit (襲擊) the mainland and Hong Kong a decade ago?
Many are wondering whether the Beijing
government can handle the situation any better today should another pandemic (疾病) break out.
Questions have been raised as to why it took
so long for Chinese authorities to announce the new bird flu cases - especially
since two victims first fell ill in February.
The government has said it needed time to
correctly identify the virus.
Nearly two months after the first death
in Shanghai, the Chinese health ministry pledged (保證) on
Wednesday that the country will communicate swiftly (迅速地) with the outside world and its own
people, with details of a new strain (品種) of the deadly bird flu (禽流感).
Unfortunately, the pledge came amid
complaints (抱怨);officials
had been too slow to report on the outbreak, and suspicion of a cover-up (掩飾).
I can't bring myself to believe China would
try to cover up, although they might have moved a bit too slowly. But this is
excusable (可原諒的) as the H7N9 bird flu isn't among the regular
strains tested.
And certainly, it takes times to run through all those tests. So,
better to be late with all the facts rather than early with guesswork.
Those with long memories will recall that
back in 2003, when SARS first appeared, there was a mad scramble (搶奪) for
vinegar in Guangzhou, with many believing this would help fumigate (消毒) their homes and
save them.
But China should also not forget that the
deadly SARS virus was spread globally (蔓延全世界) after
an infected (受感染的) Guangzhou doctor visited Hong Kong.
An outbreak followed, resulting in 8,273
cases and 775 deaths worldwide. Within weeks, SARS spread from Hong Kong to
infect individuals in 37 countries in early 2003.
That's the danger we're facing again.
Hong Kong had learned a painful lesson and reacted (作出反應) very responsibly to the recent incident
in the eastern part of China, with the authorities activating the preliminary
"Alert Response Level"(戒備應變級別) under a preparedness plan for a flu
pandemic.
This calls for close monitoring of local
chicken farms, vaccinations (接種),
culling drills and a suspension of imports of live birds from the mainland.
A six-member medical team, including top
University of Hong Kong microbiologist (微生物學家) Yuen Kwok-yung, left for Shanghai
yesterday on a two-day "sharing and learning" mission.
So far (到目前為止), 11 people in China are confirmed to
have contracted the new bird flu strain, H7N9, all in the eastern part of the
country. Four have died.
And the danger is the new virus is
spreading (蔓延) southward
(朝南的地區),
inching towards Hong Kong. Fortunately, it has so far shown no signs of
human-to-human transmission (傳播).
If there's anything China has learned from
SARS, its government should know it can't be too careful or too honest when
dealing with deadly pandemics.
In another words, it needs to act fast and be
as open as possible (儘可能公開)
Mary Ma
Do you remember the deadly SARS outbreak in Hong Kong in early 2003? Do you recall that people were always wearing masks to go out everywhere you met during in SARS? Or do you review the residents of the Estate E of Amoy Gardens Apartment that they were transferred to the quarantined Lei Yue Mun Holiday Camp and Lady MacLehose Holiday Village a decade ago?
回覆刪除I believe many Hongkongers have recall of SARS in 2003 that school closure was around one month. Parents were therefore inconvenient because they needed to arrange someone else to look after their kids. Moreover, the World Health Organization (WHO) advised travelers to avoid visiting Hong Kong. It means Hong Kong was isolated. People were upset and worried when they learnt the increased figures of the deaths on TV News report. They did nothing. However, we have better doctors, nurses and medical staff as well as workers, who are professional, courageous and to be loyal to their duties faithfully. In the meantime, the public paid attention to personal hygiene themselves. Housewives cleaned and disinfected contaminated areas and items with 1: 49 diluted household bleach and put it into the drains once a week. The streets and public areas were clean swept. Fortunately, the virus disappeared in June, 2003. I think the public still remember that they felt sorrow in those days. The employers of catering have not forgotten the economic depression during in SARS.
Unfortunately, the mainland is now hit by a new strain of the deadly H7N9 bird flu. It has infected 47 people, killing 11. The H7N9 bird flu is spreading in society in Shanghai, Zhejian and Jiangsu, and so on.
Saying the new virus may not breakout swiftly and it cannot spread from human to human, but some professionals appealed to the public who must not take the matters lightly because of the high fatality rate.
The Government had learnt a painful lesson and should take preventive measures to combat the spread of H7N9 bird flu. It is time to activate the preliminary “Alert Response Level” under a preparedness plan for a flu pandemic.
Coey Fong
wearing surgical masks instead of wearing masks
回覆刪除Coey Fong