Press Releases
HK experience helps enhance global understanding on SARS: WHO chief
The international community would be much behind in understanding the severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) outbreak had Hong Kong not been as transparent as they had been.
It was the data being collected in Hong Kong which had been used by scientists throughout the world to understand so much about this outbreak.
The Executive Director of Communicable Diseases of the World Health Organisation (WHO), Dr David Heymann, made the above remarks at a press conference today (June 16) to conclude his two-day visit in Hong Kong.
Dr Heymann was accompanied by the Secretary for Health, Welfare and Food, Dr Yeoh Eng-kiong at the press conference.
Speaking at the press conference, Dr Heymann said he came to Hong Kong for several reasons.
The first reason was to pay homage to the health care workers in Hong Kong who had worked faithfully to bring SARS under control during the outbreak.
The second reason was to see for himself the two unique parts of the worldwide outbreak of SARS which was happening here in Hong Kong.
The first related to the transmission of the disease through some environmental factors at the Amoy Gardens apartments and the other was an enhanced computer surveillance system specially developed to enable swift contact tracing of suspected and confirmed cases.
Dr Heymann said he also came to Hong Kong to thank Hong Kong scientists for their contribution to the knowledge base of SARS, including the cause and the diagnostic test, as well as the animal studies which was being carried.
"It is a very important role that the Hong Kong scientists had played in this outbreak," he said.
Dr Heymann was appreciative of the unique characteristics here in Hong Kong which resulted in such a large outbreak -- the density of the population, certain characteristics of the building design, and the constant population flow between Hong Kong and the Mainland.
When asked about when Hong Kong could be removed from the list of areas with local recent transmission, Dr Heymann said it would be 20 days after the last case was isolated in Hong Kong that it would be automatically removed from the list.
"We believe that time is approaching," he added, noting that the last recent case isolated was on June 3.
Also speaking at the press conference, Dr Yeoh said SARS had highlighted the need for the Government to re-examine all the things in environment, hospitals and community.
Dr Yeoh said: " Hospitals all over the world need to look at again in terms of design of hospitals, the types of isolation facilities required to be able to meet the challenges in the 21st century of our existing communicable diseases and all new types of emerging communicable diseases.
"That's why we are actively looking at short term and more medium term measures, and in the longer term, how we actually design hospitals."
On environmental factors, Dr Yeoh said the Chief Secretary's committee was looking at in terms of the short and longer term measures in improving the overall environment in Hong Kong.
Knowing Hong Kong was in a very vulnerable position in terms of introduction of diseases and exportation of infectious diseases, Dr Yeoh said the CDC-type organisation being studied was really one of the things to strengthen Hong Kong's ability in terms of disease surveillance and disease prevention.
Earlier in the morning, Dr Heymann visited the Amoy Gardens where he was briefed on the environmental factors leading to the transmission of the disease. He also attended a briefing session by the Hong Kong Police on the Major Incident Investigation and Disaster Support System (MIIDSS) - the enhanced computer surveillance system that helps swift contact tracing.
Dr Heymann departed this afternoon for Kuala Lumpur for the WHO Global Conference on SARS. Dr Yeoh also joined the same flight to attend the same conference.
End/Monday, June 16, 2003
NNNN