Chen Tzay-jinn (
One month after the World Health Organization (WHO) declared SARS a global threat to health, there have been no SARS-related deaths in Taiwan.
TAIPEI TIMES FILE PHOTO
As of yesterday, the WHO reported only 23 "probable" cases of the disease in the nation.
Yesterday the organization listed Taiwan as an "area with limited local transmission." The WHO said there was no evidence of Taiwan having spread the disease to other countries and no transmission other than through close person-to-person contact.
Chen said that in his position he "needs to be ready to face all kinds of diseases at any time."
Chen said he hoped that, during next month's World Health Assembly (WHA), Taiwan's delegation or the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention could promote the country's success in containing the outbreak.
Chen also said he hopes Taiwan can join the WHA as an observer.
His job is not an easy one.
"Last year, when I had just taken over the position, Taiwan's dengue fever cases had already exceeded 2,500," Chen said.
A graduate from National Taiwan University's School of Medicine, Chen obtained a masters degree in public health from Harvard University in the US.
Chen was head of the Central Region Office of the Department of Health (DOH) prior to becoming CDC director-general.
One difference between last year's dengue fever outbreak and the SARS crisis, he said, is that most SARS patients were infected abroad.
According to Chen, the nation's advanced medical system, successful isolation measures and national health insurance program have all contributed to the containment of the SARS epidemic.
One of the main reasons why no fatal SARS cases have been reported in Taiwan is that the country's national health insurance program has allowed all patients to access quality medical treatment, Chen said.
"Besides, Taiwan is kind of lucky. Unlike Hong Kong or Singapore, we don't have any SARS `super spreaders,'" Chen said.
The expansion of isolation wards in public hospitals over the past few years also helped during the SARS crisis, he said.
"Most SARS cases were admitted to public hospitals," Chen said.
According to the DOH, some hospitals said they would not receive SARS patients.
Chen revealed three principles to which he has adhered during the epidemic.
"First, the process needs to be information-based. We need to be very humble and not preoccupied with any opinions. We cannot fully rely on individual opinions or our past experiences, either," he said.
The CDC has been translating information about SARS from English to Chinese and publishing it on its Web site. According to Chen, this can be done within four hours of the CDC acquiring the English-language reports.
The move is designed to provide the public with real-time information about the disease.
Moreover, Chen said, the CDC has been communicating with its US counterpart about the epidemic.
"Second, we can't panic. We can't forget the control of dengue fever or enterovirus while fighting SARS," Chen said.
"Third, we should avoid a situation in which `everyone does everything.' At the very beginning of the outbreak, I divided our tasks into about 20 categories and asked my colleagues to be responsible for a specific task," he said.
"As for myself, I need to know everything, though I can't do everything," Chen said.
Chen also said the media may improve in some aspects in their coverage of the SARS crisis.
"I really hope the media can respect the privacy of SARS cases when covering the outbreak. The public has the right to know about the epidemic, but SARS victims also have the right [to privacy]," he said.
"The media should be professional. They should be pursuing the truth rather than covering mere `shows' to combat the disease -- such as the disinfections of buses and MRT trains," Chen said.
In March, the Taipei City Government's Bureau of Transportation ordered the disinfection of the city's buses and ordered all bus drivers to wear face masks.
Chen said disinfecting the buses was like a woman putting on make-up without washing her face in advance.
"No matter how beautiful the face looks, the face remains dirty."
On March 25, Chiou Shu-ti (邱淑媞), director of the city's Health Bureau, required the DOH to list SARS as a statutory communicable disease -- an act regarded as a challenge to the central government.
The Executive Yuan declared SARS a statutory communicable disease on March 27.
Chen revealed that as early as March 16 the CDC task force fighting the SARS outbreak had proposed listing the outbreak as a statutory communicable disease.
Chiou said yesterday that she did not suggest the disinfection of buses as "absolutely necessary."
"But when knowledge of an emerging disease is still unclear, it is better to be more positive and take greater efforts," Chiou said.
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