Editorial: Don't let down your guard yet

Chen Ding-shinn (陳定信), dean of National Taiwan University's College of Medicine, said at a press conference at the Department of Health on Tuesday, that even though the SARS epidemic has subsided and people's lives are gradually returning to normal, "I still wear a mask because I'm relatively conservative ... But I guarantee everyone that when I take off my mask, you can relax."

Chen's cautious attitude is praiseworthy, given the recent recurrence of SARS in Toronto.

Official optimism about the epidemic affects people's psychology and social activities. For example, former Department of Health chief Lee Ming-liang (李明亮) said recently that the epidemic has subsided and people can return to normal life. His words immediately resulted in crowds swarming into department stores and markets. People who have more or less shut themselves in their homes over the past month are now swarming to public venues to unwind their tensions.

This must have been the reason why President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) has tried to avoid wearing a face mask. After all, if the president is so fearful so to be wearing a mask all day, then one can imagine how serious the epidemic is. The public's anticipation will in turn affect the economy.

For this reason optimism can reverse public over-reaction toward the epidemic, but it may not necessarily be good for epidemic control or people's vigilance. Facts tell us that to let down your guard is to create a big loophole in epidemic control. This is one reason hospitals became centers of infection.

Because the World Health Organization believes the epidemic has subsided in Asia, the Cabinet's SARS prevention and relief committee said on Tuesday that it would review the quarantine measures imposed on people arriving in this country. The Executive Yuan's optimism appears premature. SARS has taken more than 80 lives in this country alone. The epidemic has merely subsided -- it is not yet under control. Yet the Executive Yuan can't wait to review its quarantine measures.

Medical experts around the world have reached a unanimous conclusion that quarantine is the most effective measure against highly infectious diseases such as SARS. On Tuesday, the National Taiwan University Hospital made public results of its virus studies showing the SARS infections in this country can be traced to China and Hong Kong.

At present the government maintains a 10-day home quarantine requirement for people arriving from areas listed by the WHO as SARS-affected areas. China, Hong Kong and Toronto are on that list. Toronto's experience with a SARS resurgence tells us that any loophole in epidemic control can make the entire country's efforts in vain. Toronto was taken off the WHO's list for a while, but now it is back on it.

Taiwan has been improving its epidemic control measures. We hope the government will make people's lives and health its top priority.

The WHO still has doubts about the rapidly falling SARS figures in China. Non-cooperation from China could cause the SARS epidemic to make a comeback anytime.

We call on the WHO to undertake strict investigations before removing China from its list of affected areas, instead of just relying on figures released by the Chinese authorities. For Taiwan, any relaxation in the epidemic control measures must be premised on complete control of the epidemic.