Date: April 2003

It's RP that is SARS Free

President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo has insisted that the country remains free from the dreaded severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) apparently to belie a regional survey that said the Philippines is scarcely prepared to handle such a medical crisis.

Earlier, the Hong Kong-based Political Economic Risk Consultancy (PERC) had ranked the Philippines 7th among 12 Asian countries in terms of each country's ability and preparedness to deal with SARS. In response to the report, the president was quoted as saying rhetorically: "How come we're still SARS-free?"

In its statement, Malacañang said that criticism such as contained in the PERC report "doesn't lend a hint of recognition to the valiant efforts done by the government agencies and communities, as well as to the support of overseas Filipino workers (OFWs)."

The government also said that the World Health Organization (WHO) considers the Philippines to be technically SARS free. Previous reports of SARS cases in the country, including the death of a 40-year-old nursing aid from Canada, were eventually proven not related to the disease at all.

However, it was found out that a 64-year-old male foreign national had apparently contracted the virus in Hong Kong before he came to the Philippines. When he arrived at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport, he had fever and was confined to the Research Institute for Tropical Medicine (RITM) in Alabang, Muntinlupa City for symptoms of SARS. The health department said the victim did not have difficulty in breathing and was eventually cured.

To make sure that the disease would not spread to the country, the president had ordered health inspections in different points of entry, including airports and ports. Some P1.5 billion in contingency funds have already been earmarked for SARS prevention and management.

Health Secretary Manuel Dayrit, however, admitted that it is almost impossible to prevent the entry of SARS into the country unless the country seals its borders. For this, he ordered the preparation of the facilities of RITM and the San Lazaro Hospital (SLH) for the purpose of attending to future SARS victims. The two hospitals can accommodate 130 SARS cases and should be sufficient for the present.

Meanwhile, fear of contracting the virus while traveling in other countries such as Hong Kong has kept Filipino vacationers from traveling abroad during the Lenten holidays. Instead, they have chosen to book domestic flights to the Visayas islands, much to the delight of local airlines and domestic travel agencies.

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