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| A map showing Hong Kong's location in Asia, in China and on China's south coast. (Photo credit: Wikipedia) |
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SWINE FLU
Experience with bird flu and Sars ensures Asia remains vigilant
HONG KONG — Asia is better equipped to deal with an outbreak of swine flu because of its experience with bird flu and Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (Sars), experts say, with Hong Kong providing the gold standard in taking on the virus.
The authorities across the region have moved quickly to try to prevent the spread of the disease, which is suspected of killing more than 100 people in Mexico and may have spread to Europe, the Middle East and New Zealand.
Airport checks across the region have been stepped up, China has banned pork imports, and medical facilities have been put on high alert for any patient showing flu-like symptoms.
Many of the measures being activated were set up during the outbreak of Sars in 2003, which killed some 800 people, mainly in Hong Kong and China.
The epidemic gave Asia “a badly needed lesson for surveillance and the right infection control mechanisms,” said Mr Peter Cordingley, spokesman for the World Health Organization’s Western Pacific office in Manila. “Asia is better prepared and in a better position than others (as a result).”
In addition, the ongoing battle with bird flu, which has killed some 250 people worldwide, has also ensured Asia remains vigilant against infectious diseases.
“ASEAN (Association of South-east Asian Nations) member states are better prepared now following the experience from recent Sars and avian influenza outbreaks,” the ASEAN said in a statement.
The regional bloc has existing stockpiles of antiviral drugs which could be used to deal with the swine flu. “ASEAN has 500,000 courses of antivirals stockpiled in Singapore and an additional 500,000 courses have been distributed to ASEAN-member states,” it said.
Hong Kong — home to both the world’s first reported major outbreak of bird flu among humans in 1997 and a major centre of the Sars outbreak — has established international standards in terms of biosecurity.
Yesterday, a 27-year-old woman became the third person to be cleared of swine flu in the territory since it was put on the alert for the disease. The woman, who had returned from San Francisco, underwent tests after showing flu-like symptoms.
Every passenger arriving by plane or ferry into Hong Kong now passes through an infrared temperature check for signs of fever. The city has also stockpiled around 20 million doses of Tamiflu, an anti-flu medicine.
X-ray machines and scanners, and often sniffer dogs, are used on the border-crossing with mainland China to try to catch illegally smuggled poultry.
Mr Paul Chan, a microbiologist at Chinese University of Hong Kong, said he believed the city’s systems provided an example for others. “Hong Kong has a very sophisticated system in identifying and isolating infected cases,” he said.
Despite these measures, Mr Cordingley warned against complacency, saying “every country in the world is at risk”. AGENCIES
From TODAY, World – Tuesday, 28-April-2009
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