As the severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) outbreak continues, the Department of Health (DOH) yesterday issued an emergency warning to passengers who had taken two Air China flights, urging them to contact the health authorities immediately if they show any symptoms of SARS, Chinese-language media reported yesterday.
According to the DOH's warning, those who boarded Air China's CA112 flight from Hong Kong to Beijing on March 15 -- as well as those who boarded Air China's CA115 flight from Beijing to Hong Kong on March 19 -- should contact the health authorities at 0800-024582 if they show any symptoms of pneumonia.
Chen Tsai-ching (
According to Chen, the tourists were infected by a 73-year-old Chinese man who was also on the CA112 plane on March 15. The elderly man from Beijing reportedly visited a friend at the Prince of Wales Hospital during his stay in Hong Kong.
Nine of the 35 tourists later started to show symptoms of SARS -- an atypical form of pneumonia. The tourists returned to Hong Kong last Wednesday.
Chen also said that the DOH does not really know how many Taiwanese passengers were on those two flights, because Air China did not publish the passenger lists of the flights.
He urged those who boarded the two flights to contact the DOH immediately if they start to show evidence of a cough or fever.
The Central News Agency reported yesterday that five Taiwanese people who boarded the CA112 plane are currently being kept in the isolation ward of National Taiwan University Hospital after showing symptoms which could indicate SARS.
In related news, a Taipei resident, Ho Kuo-lung (
The younger Ho said that his brother suffered from a serious headache but had not shown any SARS symptoms.
China Airlines insisted that Ho needs to first get approval from a doctor in order to board the plane, and that -- according to the WHO regulations -- the company had to prevent him from boarding.
As of Monday, Taiwan had 28 suspected cases of SARS, with six of them being called "probable."
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