Canada NewsWire

TORONTO, March 30 /CNW/ - The Hospital for Sick Children (HSC) has cancelled all elective surgery and outpatient clinic appointments until Monday, April 14. Parents will be contacted if their child should come into the hospital for an urgent appointment. HSC's Emergency Department remains open and inpatient care and emergency surgery continue to be provided. For regular updates, parents should call the HSC Family Information Line at   (416) 813-7700.
HSC is asking that all regular staff come to work as scheduled but that volunteers and students not come to the hospital during this period. All meetings and conferences scheduled to take place in the hospital have been cancelled until April 14. To reduce risk to patients and families during the SARS outbreak, HSC is now permitting only one parent or guardian at a time be allowed to visit a patient in the hospital.
HSC is taking all of these necessary precautions in order to prevent transmission of SARS among staff and patients. HSC requests that those who must come to the hospital follow these guidelines:
-   Anyone entering the hospital will be screened by HSC staff.
-   No visitors will be allowed except for a parent of a patient. Siblings and other children will not be allowed entry into the hospital.
-   Anyone with respiratory symptoms will not be allowed into the hospital, with the exception of children who need medical evaluation.
-   Surgical masks will be provided to parents entering the hospital and must be worn at all times.
-   If you suspect that your child been exposed to SARS, please do not come to HSC's Emergency department. Instead, please call Telehealth Ontario at 1-866-797-0000. Symptoms to look for in children include a rapid onset of fever greater than 38 C, one or more respiratory symptoms including cough, shortness of breath or difficulty breathing.

For further information: Lisa Lipkin, Public Affairs, The Hospital for Sick Children, (416) 813-6380, lisa.lipkin@sickkids.ca

<a href=www.abs-cbnnews.com>Reuters/abs-cbnNEWS.com HONG KONG - Hong Kong reported a sharp rise in pneumonia virus cases on Sunday, more than half of them in a single apartment building, as Thailand and Singapore stepped up curbs on air travelers.

Singapore's health ministry said from Monday, nurses will be mobilized to meet all incoming flights from affected areas, to check ill passengers.

"Based on the latest information, this disease is more infectious than we thought," Singapore's Health Minister Lim Hng Kiang told reporters.

Hong Kong Health Secretary Yeoh Eng-kiong told local television on Sunday that infections leapt by 60 to 530 in the crowded city and that one more person had died of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS), taking the toll to 13.

"The numbers will go up for one or two weeks," the minister added, a prediction that will fuel the fears of the city's seven million residents as officials try to rein in a disease that has killed 58 people across the world and infected 1,612.

Scores of cases from one Hong Kong apartment block have raised fears the virus could be airborne rather than spread by droplets from sneezing or coughing as previously thought.

At Amoy Gardens in urban Kowloon, the number of residents infected has soared from seven mid-week to 121 on Sunday, baffling health officials.

Panic-stricken residents, wearing face masks and gloves, moved out of the estate, and shops and restaurants were deserted or shut.

"I'm scared. I'm taking my temperature every day," said one woman resident. "I stayed at home for several days. It's terrifying. I think I'll get it sooner or later."

The government urged the territory's families to clean their homes on Sunday in a bid to contain the spread of SARS. Authorities were disinfecting public parks. Taxi drivers were cleaning their vehicles. Schools were already closed.

Health officials say the virus, identified by Hong Kong scientists as belonging to a family of viruses that cause colds, first surfaced in southern China in November and has since been spread by air travelers around the world.

Worst hit have been China, with 34 dead and more than 800 infected, and Singapore, Vietnam, Canada, Taiwan and Thailand. North America and Europe have also reported infections.

Singapore has closed all schools and placed more than 1,500 people under house quarantine.

Hong Kong authorities said they were urgently tracing 222 passengers and 15 crew members on last Wednesday's Dragonair flight KA 901 from Beijing after one passenger was found to have caught the disease and was now in hospital.

Thailand said on Sunday it would quarantine for at least 24 hours any incoming travelers suspected to be infected, and issued another travel warning urging Thais to avoid visiting China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Singapore and Vietnam.

Singapore's Civil Aviation Authority ordered all airlines operating at Changi international airport to ask passengers questions recommended by the World Health Organization before allowing them to board flights to the city state.

Canada NewsWire

 - Call Infoline at 1-888-668-4636 for general inquiries about SARS
  - Call Telehealth Ontario at 1-866-797-0000 if you have symptoms

TORONTO, March 30 /CNW/ - Dr. Colin D'Cunha, Ontario's Commissioner of Public Health and Chief Medical Officer of Health, and Dr. James Young, Ontario's Commissioner of Public Security, today announced that a fourth patient death has been linked to Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS).
"I want to express our heartfelt condolences to the patient's family and friends," said Dr. D'Cunha.
Dr. D'Cunha said that the patient who passed away had a direct connection with the first SARS patient at The Scarborough Hospital, Grace Division.
"In an effort to contain the spread of SARS, we are continuing to focus on the measures we have put in place in health care facilities," said Dr. Young.

These measures include:
-   All GTA and Simcoe County hospitals must take necessary precautions against the possible presence of SARS within the hospital;
-   All GTA and Simcoe County hospitals have access restricted to critically ill patients and necessary staff only;
-   Security personnel and police staff will be available to enforce these precautions;
-   Toronto's Emergency Operations Centre (EOC) has been activated to assist local and provincial efforts;
-   Additional experts from Health Canada will support with infection control measures;
-   Non-urgent transfers between health care facilities will be suspended; and
-   Long-term-care facilities will follow strict infection control protocols.

"We want to stress that the risk of being infected by SARS remains very low for most Ontarians, provided they are not in one of the risk groups," said Dr. D'Cunha. "Washing your hands is always the best way to prevent infection from any illness."
If you have had close contact with anyone diagnosed with SARS, or have recently travelled to China, Hong Kong, Vietnam and/or Singapore, " You develop a fever (above 38 degrees Celsius) " You develop one or more of the following respiratory symptoms; cough, shortness of breath or difficulty breathing,
-   You should seek medical attention. Cover your nose and mouth with a clean mask or towel immediately and proceed to your nearest hospital as soon as possible.

Doctors Young and D'Cunha said it is important that people call the most appropriate phone numbers to get the information they need. The numbers include:
-   People who do not have any symptoms but have general queries about SARS can call Ontario's Health Infoline at 1-888-668-4636 for more information or can check the ministry website at: http://www.health.gov.on.ca.
-   People who do not have symptoms but have been to the The Scarborough Hospital, Grace Division between March 16 and today, should call their local public health unit or Telehealth Ontario at 1-866-797-0000 to get further direction.
-   People who do not have symptoms but have been to the York Central Hospital in Richmond Hill between March 16 and March 28, please call York Region Public Health Unit at 1-800-361-5653 to get further direction.
-   People who are in home isolation and have any concerns should phone their local public health unit (check ministry website for telephone numbers).

For some people, a period of isolation may be necessary. People in home isolation who have any concerns should phone their local public health unit. Numbers are available on the health ministry's website or in the phone book.
"It's important to stress that people in home isolation must stay in isolation for a period of 10 days," said Dr. Young. "The province is working with Toronto Emergency Medical Services, Toronto police auxiliary, the Red Cross, and the Salvation Army to help those people in isolation at home."
As of today, March 30, 2003, there are approximately 100 probable and suspect cases of SARS in Ontario. There is detailed information on 81 of these cases: 42 are probable and 39 are suspect.
Doctors Young and D'Cunha stressed that efforts to respond to SARS and contain the disease continue around the clock.
"We are taking all necessary measures to contain SARS," said Dr. Young.

This news release is available on our website at: www.health.gov.on.ca

Version française disponible

For further information: Members of the media: Dan Strasbourg, (416) 314-6197, Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care; Members of the general public: (416) 327-4327, or (800) 268-1154

Washington Times

     There has been a fourth death in Canada from Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome, medical authorities told reporters on Sunday. Dr. Colin D'Cuhna, the Ontario public health commissioner, said the unidentified victim had died at York Central Hospital in Richmond Hill on Friday night.      The patient had earlier been treated at Toronto's Scarborough Grace Hospital, which has been the center of the province's SARS outbreak, D'Cuhna said.      Canada's previous three SARS deaths were also in the Toronto area, Canadian Broadcasting Corp. said.      Four Canadian provinces have reported about 100 confirmed or suspected SARS cases: Ontario (in the Toronto area), British Columbia, Manitoba (Winnipeg) and now in New Brunswick.      Dr. Wayne MacDonald, New Brunswick's chief medical health officer, told reporters Sunday that a teacher in Miramichi had developed symptoms of SARS before returning from a trip to China last Monday. He said the teacher had voluntarily quarantined herself until all symptoms disappear, but 60 people she was in contact with are being monitored.      CBC also said that health officials are monitoring three more suspected cases of the illness in British Columbia, in addition to a dozen previously reported cases. There's only been one confirmed case in the province, but about 10,000 residents of British Columbia travel each month to and from high-risk areas in Asia. The province has a large number of immigrants from East Asia.      The network also said that Ontario authorities have asked anyone who recently visited Scarborough Grace Hospital or York Central Hospital, both in greater Toronto, to stay home for a 10-day period. It said Toronto police have joined private security guards in keeping non-essential visitors from visiting the two area hospitals affected by the quarantine.      Separately, media reports in Asia detailed the spread of the syndrome in the region. Among the developments reported:      -- Taiwan might limit contacts with China to try to control the spread of SARS, with a decision possible Monday, the British Broadcasting Corp. said. Taiwan-China transport links generally go through a third nation. Taiwan has declared SARS an "infectious disease" subject to quarantine and banned visits by civil servants to affected areas, including China, Hong Kong and Vietnam.      Taiwan's Center for Disease Control put the number of local probable cases at 12, most of them reporting the illness after trips to China and Hong Kong. But several hundred other people are on a so-called "home confinement list."      -- In Hong Kong, the Standard newspaper reports 13 people had died of SARS in the Special Administrative Region as of Saturday: the latest victim was a 74-year-old woman. At one residential complex -- Amoy Gardens -- 121 people have so far been reported ill with SARS. The total number of those infected with SARS has passed 500, according to the Standard, with 60 new cases identified Saturday alone -- including six medical staff.      The Standard also reported that the South Korean consulate-general's office had warned its nationals to leave Hong Kong. The warning reportedly appeared in a weekly newsletter to the approximately 16,000 South Korean residents of the SAR.      -- Singapore Health Minister Lim Hng Kiang said his nation probably faced a longer-term situation with SARS than previously expected. He told reporters in Singapore on Sunday that the disease appeared to have a sub-set of cases involving what he termed "super-infectors." These were victims who were much more infectious than others and therefore affected many others.      He said that there had been only one such case in Singapore, but he added: "I don't want Singaporeans to be lulled into complacency. Because the problem is not going to stop next week or two weeks."      -- Thailand will detain arrivals who are suspected of carrying SARS for 24 hours, the health minister said. ChannelNews Asia quotes Sudarat Keyuraphan as saying that the measure wasn't based on the specific situation in Thailand but on the worsening regional situation.      Thailand had its first SARS death this weekend when Dr. Carlo Urbani, the World Health Organization doctor who first alerted colleagues to SARS, died of the illness in Bangkok.      -- Malaysia's Health Ministry sent a fact-finding team to Singapore to collect information on the treatment and prevention of SARS. Health Minister Datuk Chua Jui Meng said one team member was Dr. Chua Kaw Bing, one of those who identified the Nipah virus that caused an outbreak in Malaysia's pig population in 1998-99. The Star newspaper said that Malaysia had stationed medical personnel at the Causeway -- a major route that connects Malaysia and Singapore -- and distributed health cards to entering travelers.      It said that patients were being isolated if they were suspected of having SARS, but it didn't give any details on how such cases there might be.      There have been about 1,550 reported cases of SARS worldwide, with 54 deaths in 15 countries.

Canada NewsWire

TORONTO, March 30 /CNW/ - In response to new information from the Commissioner of Public Security and the Commissioner of Public Health, St. Michael's Hospital is taking additional measures to ensure maximum protection for patients, staff and physicians. There is one suspected or probable SARS case identified within St. Michael's Hospital.
The reason behind the precautions is to ensure that we will be able to continue to provide essential patient care, by limiting movement in and out of the hospital as much as possible. The following measures are in effect until Friday April 4:
-   Emergency, Medical Day Care, Dialysis, TB Clinic, Prenatal clinic (with limited daily access) will remain open.
-   All elective inpatient and day surgery will be cancelled.
-   Only urgent and emergent services will be provided in the following areas: Cardiac Catherization and Pacemakers, Medical Imaging, Cystoscopy/Lithotripsy, Nuclear Medicine.
-   All outpatient clinics in the main hospital building (30 Bond), 61 Queen, 55 Queen or 38 Shuter and Family Practice Outreach to hostels and shelters are closed. There will be no physician office appointments in any of these locations.
-   Visitors to the hospital will continue to be restricted to parents of pediatric patients and those visiting critically ill or palliative patients.
-   Everyone moving through the hospital, including patients, authorized visitors, staff and physicians, will be required to wear masks at all times.
-   All staff and physicians in patient care areas must wear full protective clothing at all times (mask, gown, gloves and goggles).
-   As directed by the provincial government, St. Michael's cannot accept transfers from hospitals outside the GTA or in Simcoe County, or non-urgent transfers between health care facilities within the GTA.
-   No volunteers or students should come to the hospital until further notice.
-   All patients and visitors will enter and exit the hospital via the Queen Street entrance. Staff and physicians will enter via the Victoria Street entrance and exit via the Queen Street entrance.
-   All patients, visitors, staff and physicians will be screened every time they enter the hospital and are therefore encouraged to minimize movement in and out of the hospital as much as possible.
-   All receiving will be restricted to the receiving area on Shuter and Victoria Streets and will be limited to essential goods and servicesnecessary to run the hospital.
-   A St. Michael's Hospital hotline has been set up for public inquires at 416-864-5005.

St. Michael's Hospital is committed to taking precautionary measures in order to protect our patients, staff and physicians, while ensuring that we provide the best possible care. We would like to thank the media and the public for their cooperation in helping us to meet this commitment.

For further information: Darlene Frampton, Director of Corporate Communications, St. Michael's Hospital, Telephone: (416) 864-5488, Pager via Locating: (416) 864-5431

For more information visit: www.health.gov.on.ca