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SARS experts standing by to battle new virus

By Liang Qiwen (China Daily)
Updated: 2009-04-30 10:21

GUANGZHOU -- Guangdong province is prepared to put lessons learned during the SARS outbreak to good use against swine flu.

Medical experts who battled Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) in the province in 2003 are poised to use their experience and skills, should the illness reach Guangdong, the provincial health department said yesterday.

The department said it has formed a team of medical experts that will concentrate on ensuring swine flu does not get a foothold in the province.

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Most of team members were involved in the fight to contain the SARS outbreak in 2003. The disease spread from Guangdong province and rapidly infected at least 8,096 people in 37 countries and regions - killing nearly 800 people - before it was contained.

"We have also designated three prestigious hospitals in Guangzhou to receive swine flu patients, if any people get infected," said Huang Fei, vice-director of the provincial health department.

The hospitals in Guangzhou are: Guangdong provincial people's hospital, the third affiliated hospital of Sun Yat-sen University and Nanfang Hospital.

Huang said the hospitals have advanced medical facilities and laboratory techniques and can make fast and accurate diagnoses of swine flu cases.

The health department also requires each of the other 20 cities in Guangdong province to designate a hospital to receive potential swine flu patients, Huang said.

A Guangdong provincial people's hospital spokesperson said the team's experience is a major asset.

"The infection department and fever department of our hospital will be in charge of treating swine flu patients," said hospital director Zhang Hui. "The treatment will be undertaken by doctors and nurses who have engaged in the treatment of SARS patients before."

He Jianfeng, director of Guangdong center for disease control and prevention (CDC), said a healthy supply of medicine is also available.

"In our CDC, the stock of Tamiflu, which is a drug recommended by the World Health Organization, is enough to treat 10,000 people," He said. "Other city and county-level CDCs have their own stocks."

Liao Ming, an expert in animal epidemic control at South China Agricultural University, added: "Keeping good hygiene and immunity is the best way to prevent the virus."