The Ministry of National Defense yesterday said its medical personnel have not found any case of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) in the armed services so far, but that a service-wide rapid-response mechanism has been activated to counter a potential outbreak.
Ministry spokesman Major General Huang Sui-sheng (
"The Institute of Preventive Medicine of the National Defense Medical Center [NDMC] has set up a task force to handle emergency situations that might arise. Units at all levels in the three services have also worked out emergency plans for a possible outbreak of SARS," Huang said.
"Service members should avoid going to crowded public places, wash their hands frequently and refrain from visiting patients in hospital. There should be no contact with people suspected to be infected with SARS," he said.
Huang made the remarks at a regular ministry press conference yesterday.
The Institute of Preventive Medicine is one of the military's top-secret units. It is not open to the public because the ministry has said it wants to avoid the possibility of accidental infection among visitors.
However, the ministry has refused to say what kind of diseases people might contract just by visiting the facility.
The institute last appeared in news reports two years ago when it was asked by the ministry to demonstrate its ability to deal with nuclear, biological and chemical attacks.
It has reportedly been conducting research into certain viruses with potential for use as weapons against humans. But these reports have never been confirmed by the ministry.
The announcement that an emergency task force has been set up is evidence that the ministry is seriously concerned about a possible outbreak of SARS in the military.
Service-life could provide a fertile breeding ground for disease since most military service members, especially those in lower echelons, live or work in crowded environments.
Soldiers in an infantry company, for example, live in one big room. Most officers, however, have their own rooms.
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