The Department of Health (DOH) yesterday played down fears that there could be a cluster of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) at Jen Chi Hospital in Taipei after nine nurses there were found to be suffering from a fever.
"Although these nine nurses suffered a high fever with temperatures as high as 39℃, their high fever subsided within couple of days," said Chi Hsueh-yun (
"The quick subsidence of their high fever therefore did not match the symptoms of SARS enough to say for sure that they are SARS-infected," Chi said.
SARS usually begins with a sustained fever above 38℃. The fever sometimes is associated with chills, diarrhea or other symptoms such as headache, muscular stiffness, a dry cough, shortness of breath or breathing difficulties.
Chi said the nine cases were being investigated further.
Taipei City Health Bureau chief Chiou Shu-ti (
According to the DOH, as of 4pm yesterday, 353 SARS-related cases had been reported nationwide, of which 93 had been ultimately ruled out as being SARS. Of the remainder, 66 were "probable" cases, 85 were "suspected" cases, 42 were pending and 67 had been reported to the DOH by hospitals but had not been further investigated. One person has died from the disease.
The 66 probable cases included 11 designated yesterday, Chi said.
"These 11 new probable cases are all related to the Taipei Municipal Hoping Hospital," Chi said. "These 11 individuals were either patients at the Taipei Municipal Hoping Hospital, families of a patient or had recently visited the hospital."
* Probable: Has symptoms of SARS (fever higher than 38℃; a cough, breathing difficulty or shortness of breath), has pneumonia or respiratory distress syndrome and has either a travel history or a contact history with a SARS-infected area or person.
* Suspected: Has symptoms of SARS and a travel history or a contact history with a SARS-infected area or person but does not have pneumonia.
* Pending: Has symptoms of SARS and has either a travel history or a contact history with a SARS-infected area or person -- but their laboratory tests and X-rays have yet to be reviewed by the Center for Disease Control.
* Still to be verified: The case has been reported to the Department of Health by a hospital but it hasn't been investigated yet.
Amid increasing fears that scenes of chaos at Taipei Municipal Hoping Hospital could be repeated elsewhere, Veterans General Hospital dismissed a rumor yesterday that one of its doctors was infected with SARS.
"The doctor concerned did suffer a minor fever and cough. For the sake of prudence, the doctor concerned was placed in an isolation ward last Saturday," a statement from the hospital said.
"The body temperature of the doctor returned to normal today, and the person's coughing has improved," it said.
The doctor is still under observation, the statement said.
The statement added that the hospital, in line with a DOH order that 60 isolated-wards must be made available for probable or suspected SARS-infected individuals, had prepared a 10-story building for the purpose.
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