HONG
KONG, May 3 (Islamonline.net & News Agencies) - Hong Kong port
authorities were placed on full alert Saturday, May 3, after receiving
a distress call from a Malaysian registered cargo vessel carrying
several crew members who may have contracted the killer SARS virus.
The
ship, Bunga Malawis Satu, departed from Bangkok, Thailand and was
heading for the southern Chinese port of Huangpu in Guangzhou when the
ship captain reported 10 of the 24 crew members of Indian origin had
fallen ill, reported Agance France Presse (AFP).
The
ship's captain reported to the Hong Kong port authorities that the
sick crew members had shown SARS-like symptoms including a cough,
fever and chills.
One
of the crew members was reported to be in "quite serious"
condition, Carrie Yau, Permanent Secretary for Health told reporters.
"The
director of the marine department had recommended that the ship should
land at the nearest port of call" which would have been Yangjiang
in China "but the ship decided to sail instead to Hong Kong"
Yau added.
"According
to international regulations, we cannot prohibit any vessel from
entering Hong Kong... therefore we need to honor our obligations"
Severe
Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS), originated in the southern Chinese
province of Guangdong last November, and has killed 435 people and
infected more than 6,000 others, mostly in Asia.
Port
authorities received the distress call late Friday when the ship,
carrying chemicals, was 100 nautical miles south-east of the southern
Chinese island of Hainan.
Director
of the Marine Department, Tsui Shung-yiu, said the ship was scheduled
to arrive in Hong Kong on Sunday morning and would be moored near
outlying Lamma Island.
Before
departing from Thailand on April 28, the ship was believed to have
also visited other ports in the region including Singapore, Tsui
added.
"Port
health authorities received information that some crew members had
been suffering from fever, cough and pain in the joints. The ship
master suspected that some of the crew had been infected by
SARS". Said Director of Health Margaret Chan.
"However
these symptoms are also quite common and so they could have flu or
dengue fever... but we are adopting a cautious approach and
precautions will be taken."
After
the vessel was moored, health officials would board the vessel and
carry out examinations on the crew members.
"If
any members have symptoms that require hospital treatment, they will
be sent to Princess Margaret Hospital. Those members who are
asymptomatic and are not sick will be issued with an isolation order
and be required to stay on board the vessel for a 10 day quarantine
period," said Dr Chan.
Dr
Chan added that health authorities had also been in contact with David
Heyman, the head of the World Health Organization's communicable
diseases section, who had "fully approved of the actions taken by
Hong Kong".
The
WHO issued an advisory against travel to Hong Kong, one of the world's
worst hit SARS regions, on April 2.
The
former British colony reported nine deaths and 10 more SARS cases on
Saturday bringing the death toll to 179 with more than 1,600 cases.
Fears
In China
 |
|
Chen
Shui-bian - President of Taiwan, postponed planned state visits to
four allied countries
|
Meanwhile,
health authorities expressed fears, however, that the death rate from
SARS in the Chinese territory could rise from the current 11 percent
to around 14 percent.
Five
of the new deaths occurred in the capital Beijing, as did 114 of the
new cases, bringing the death toll in the capital to 96 from 1,741
infections, nine cases that had previously been announced as SARS had
been misdiagnosed, the health ministry said.
The
Chinese government Saturday promised to provide free health care to
peasants afflicted with the disease as infections surged throughout
the country.
With
the departure of many migrants from the capital, the problem of the
spread of SARS into China's rural areas where two-thirds of the
population live, has prompted the government to require local
authorities to take greater care of country-folk.
"It
is strictly forbidden for all medical structures in the country to
adjust the care accorded to SARS patients in our campaign against
atypical pneumonia according to questions of a patient's ability to
pay for health care", a joint statement by the ministries of
finance and health released through the official Xinhua news agency
said.
In
a separate related development, police in Singapore filed criminal
charges against a man who defied a home quarantine order, signaling
the government's determination to enforce an all-out campaign against
SARS.
Some
3,000 people are currently under home quarantine for a minimum of 10
days in Singapore for observation after having been potentially
exposed to the SARS virus, for which there is no cure or vaccine.
The
arrest of the 50-year-old man, who is not classified as a suspected
SARS case, followed the passage of tougher quarantine laws, including
hefty fines and up to a year in jail for violators, under the
Infectious Diseases Act.
SARS
has claimed 25 lives and infected at least 203 people in Singapore, a
densely populated city-state whose economy has been badly shaken by
the outbreak.
SARS
also prompted the relocation of a sporting event Saturday, with FIFA
announcing the women's football World Cup, which was due to be staged
in China from September 23, will be played in another country.
World
football's governing body said in a statement that its executive
committee took the decision after examining advice from its medical
committee during a meeting in Zurich.
The
decision follows another Friday when organizers of cycling's world
track championships scheduled for the southern Chinese city of
Shenzhen for July 30-August 3 announced they were looking for a new
venue for the event.
The
rapid spread of SARS in Taiwan meanwhile forced its president Chen
Shui-bian to Saturday postpone planned state visits to four allied
countries, as the isolated island awaited assistance from the WHO to
help it contain the disease.
