The Hindu : Drug shortage hampers efforts to tackle SARS

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Friday, Apr 18, 2003

Southern States

Southern States - Kerala-Thiruvananthapuram

Drug shortage hampers efforts to tackle SARS

By Our Staff Reporter

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM APRIL 17. A shortage of anti-viral drugs and steriods, essential for the management of potential victims of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS), is turning to be a serious hamper to the preparedness of the administration in dealing with the fatal flu-like virus.

The health department, had in collaboration with airport authorities here, put in place a contingency plan to tackle incoming international air passengers reporting with clinical SARS symptom, which had erupted in mainland China striking with a mortality rate of between 30 to 40 per cent.

Though a confirmed SARS case is yet to be reported in the country, precautionary measures had been launched as part of a nation-wide alert on the mysterious killer-pneumonia attacks that have rapidly spread across countries.

A team under the airport medical officer at the Thiruvananthapuram international airport has already commenced screening of incoming passengers from known epidemic-prone countries.

However, sources reveal that the current stock position of anti-viral drugs and steroids used to symptomatically treat SARS cases was virtually nil. They feared that the arrangements so assiduously put in place by the district health administration could be nullified due to the drug shortage.

Meanwhile, a standard proforma is being issued to international air passengers arriving in Thiruvananthapuram as part of the precautionary measures being undertaken at airports across the country to check on patients arriving with telltale signs of a viral infection such as fever, headache, myalgia (body ache) and breathing difficulty.

In fact, a false alarm was set off a couple of days ago when a Malayali passenger arriving from Singapore reportedly wrote wrong entries on the prescribed format leading to panic calls from New Delhi.

Meanwhile, a ten-bedded Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation ward at the General Hospital has been set apart to deal with potential SARS cases. A team of physicians has also been alerted on the management of SARS cases in quarantined (isolation) wards. According to WHO and national guidelines, suspected SARS cases have to be kept under scrutiny for a minimum two-week period.

The District Medical Officer, Shailaja, said a team of medical officers had been deputed at the airport to assist management of potential SARS patients. The team which includes health inspectors and junior staff, has been mandated to provide necessary assistance to the airport staff. The district health administration is also keeping liaison with the Medical College authorities to provide ventilator support to potential cases of acute SARS.

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