February 16, 2011
By Staff Reporter
A middle-aged man who recently returned from Hong Kong is being treated in Mayo General Hospital in Castlebar. The local health board categorized him as a “probable” case.
The NDSC said the man was responding well to treatment. “He remains a probable case, but he is recovering,” a spokesman said.
A second middle-aged man who also recently returned from Southeast Asia is being treated in the Midland Regional Hospital in Portlaoise remains a suspect case but the NDSC expects he may be cleared.
Two other suspect cases involving people who had recently returned from Southeast Asia were admitted to Dublin hospitals last week. Both have since been cleared.
The authorities are experiencing difficulties dealing with cases as public health doctors are in dispute with the department of health.
The doctors are seeking negotiations on an emergency plan and a deal on out-of-hours cover and have voted for strike action.
The symptoms of SARS are a temperature of over 38 degrees Centigrade (110.4 degrees Fahrenheit), flu-like symptoms and a cough.
The department of health have advised people who’ve become unwell after traveling from Hong Kong, Vietnam, Singapore and China’s Guandong Province to seek medical advice.
The disease has so far been linked to the deaths of about 22 people in Hong Kong, Canada and Vietnam, and more than 350 cases have been reported worldwide.
“Because there is no really definitive test for this illness, it is a question of the virus reference laboratory in Dublin going through a process of elimination for other illnesses,” the NDSC spokesman said.
“At the same time the hospitals monitor the progress of the patients as they are treated.
“It is very difficult to categorically say it is or isn’t SARS,” the spokesman said.
In response to advice from the World Health Organization, Ireland, in common with most countries, has been investigating illnesses in people who have traveled in areas affected by SARS.
An expert group has been established by Micheal Martin, the health minister, to monitor the situation and will advise him of any further measures which may need to be taken as the situation develops.
The NDSC and the department have developed and disseminated guidance to hospitals and professionals in the health services describing the illness and offering advice as to how suspected cases should be dealt with.