Taiwan aids diplomat's sick son

The Department of Health (DOH) confirmed yesterday that a US diplomat's child, infected with the severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS), has been brought to Taiwan from Vietnam for treatment.

Chen Tsai-ching (陳再晉), director-general of the Center for Disease Control (CDC), said the boy, accompanied by his family, who chartered a flight to transport him, arrived at Taipei's Sungshan Airport early yesterday morning.

The American Institute in Taiwan (AIT) informed the DOH of the family's desire to send the boy to Taiwan for treatment late on Thursday night, according to Chen.

The boy has been admitted to the National Taiwan University Hospital (NTUH), where three suspected SARS cases have been admitted, Chen said.

"After arriving at the Sungshan Airport, the boy was quickly sent to NTUH's decontamination unit. The boy now stays in an isolation ward," Chen said.

Chen said it is unlikely anyone involved in transporting the child would be infected with the disease.

According to Chen, the Vietnam-based US diplomat, after learning of his son's illness, considered sending his child to either Japan or Taiwan for treatment.

"The diplomat's choosing of Taiwan for his son's treatment shows his recognition of Taiwan's international patient referral service," Chen said.

Earlier this week, Twu Shiing-jer (涂醒哲), DOH director-general, called for China-based Taiwanese businessmen infected with SARS not to return to Taiwan but to be treated at local hospitals.

Chen said yesterday Twu made the call because it would be "very dangerous" for SARS cases to use public means of transportation because the patients might infect other passengers.

"Only under very rare circumstances can SARS cases be transported to Taiwan for treatment," Chen said.

According to the DOH, SARS cases can be referred to Taiwan only when the patients cannot receive the proper treatment from local hospitals.

SARS cases can also be sent to Taiwan if the patients are able to arrange transportation procedures that ensure nobody would be infected during the transporting process, said the DOH.

The department denied a Chinese-language newspaper's report that the DOH favors the US diplomat's child more than China-based Taiwanese businessmen.

Meanwhile, CDC reported yesterday two new suspected SARS cases, bringing Taiwan's suspected SARS cases to 6, excluding the US diplomat's boy.

According to Chen, one of the new suspected cases, who has the surname Chin (勤), works in the CDC and is the son of the first two cases, who are a couple.

Chen said Chin, infected by his parents, has also been admitted to an isolation ward in NTUH, where four suspected SARS cases now stay.

Chen said he has asked Chin's three colleagues who share the same office with him to stay at home for a few days to prevent further infection.

Chen noted that Taiwan's SARS cases contracted the disease either during their trips to China or from their families.

"No community spread of SARS has taken place in Taiwan," said Chen.

Chen said he would no longer reveal the hospitals that reported suspected SARS to the CDC in order to prevent unnecessary panic.

Meanwhile, a government source said that the AIT has expressed its gratitude to Taiwan, adding that the Presidential Office has also received a thank you from the AIT.

"They were amazed by the advanced medical facilities the National Taiwan University Hospital possessed," said the source who declined to be named.