Given the increased chances of catching a cold during the fall, the Center for Disease Control said yesterday it had issued several guidelines for the prevention and detection of a possible SARS outbreak.
"Our fear is that increased incidents of seasonal colds and viruses will be confused with SARS. The center's guidelines aim to clarify the symptoms of SARS, thereby facilitating treatment," said Shih Wen-yi (
He said that only patients running a fever of more than 38 degrees Celsius, with respiratory symptoms matching that of the virus, with X-ray results that confirm the presence of the virus and with no other possible explanation for their condition would be diagnosed as being infected with SARS.
Shih said that people who have had contact with SARS patients but are not running a fever will not be quarantined. However, those who do have a fever will be quarantined for 72 hours.
"Fevers caused by most common colds will not persist for more than three days," Shih said. He encouraged people running fevers to stay at home for three days before returning to school or work.
The center also suggested that people between the age of 20 and 65 who are in good health and not working in a health-related field refrain from getting a vaccine for the common cold. Shih said that its low efficiency rate merely prevents roughly 30 to 50 percent of vaccinated people from catching colds, and vaccination would be a waste of money.
The center specified, however, that those who work in the medical field or are in frequent contact with patients at hospitals or clinics should get a vaccine to minimize the possibility of viruses spreading to patients.
Shih also said that people over the age of 65 should get vaccinated to prevent the onset of pneumonia and other conditions that are possibly fatal in the elderly.
According to Shih, the government has allotted 290,000 vaccnies for medical workers and 1.64 million for senior citizens.
To help control a possible recurrence of SARS or a similar outbreak, the center introduced a new policy that would set aside 19 hospitals specifically for the treatment of any SARS patients. These 19 hospitals are arranged in a hierarchical network so that the number of hospitals accommodating SARS patients will increase as the number of patients increase.
The center also asked that only individuals running a fever wear surgical masks in public and emphasized that only nurses and doctors needed to wear N95 surgical masks.
The center said that personal hygiene was fundamental to the prevention of a SARS outbreak, reminding individuals to wash their hands frequently and thoroughly.
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