Mon, Apr 21, 2003 page2

• SARS conference gets underway

  A DIALOGUE Health authorities from Hong Kong, Singapore, Taiwan and the US gathered in Taipei to share their experiences on containing the SARS virus

  • By Melody Chen / STAFF REPORTER
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  The International Symposium on SARS (severe acute respiratory syndrome) Outbreaks hosted by the Department of Health (DOH) kicked off in Taipei yesterday.

  The DOH said Taiwan is the first country in the West Pacific region to host an international conference on the emerging disease.

  

  Hong Kong University microbiologist Yuen Kwok-yung speaks at an international seminar on SARS in Taipei yesterday.

  PHOTO: CHU PEI-HSIUNG, TAIPEI TIMES

  Delegations from twelve countries where SARS cases have been reported joined a two-day conference, which has been divided into five sessions. The topic of the first session was "Pathogens and Epidemiology."

  Before the session, Chen Chien-jen (陳建仁), chairman of Taiwan's SARS Advisory Committee and a leading epidemiologist, presented a keynote speech on Taiwan's SARS outbreak and control.

  Professors Yuen Kwok-yung (袁國勇) and To Ka-fai (杜家輝) from Hong Kong, Jim Lando from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and Wu Yi-chun (吳怡君) from Taiwan were the selected speakers for the first session.

  Yuen is a microbiologist from the University of Hong Kong and To is a pathologist from the Chinese University of Hong Kong.

  Taipei Times: One of the reasons why Taiwan has reported far fewer SARS cases than Hong Kong and Singapore is that it Taiwan does not have any "superspreaders." What makes "superspreaders" more contagious than other patients of the disease?

  Yuen Kwok-yung (袁國勇): We do not know exactly what a "superspreader" is at the moment. This is basically an epidemiological definition, in which a lot of people get infected by the same patient. They call the patient a "superspreader." But the concept has not yet been proven.

  Chen Chien-jen (陳建仁): Currently Hong Kong, Singapore and Toronto all have "superspreaders." To study these special cases, good laboratory experiments and virological diagnoses are very important. To understand these cases, it is significant to know how many people they have infected.

  TT: What are your comments on Taiwan's containment of the SARS outbreak?

  Yuen: I dare not say anything. I am so happy Taiwan has so few cases, which is very encouraging.

  TT: Taiwan also invited China to join the symposium, but China did not respond to the invitation. What do you think about this?

  Yuen: I believe it is always good that people come together and meet, whether it is in Taiwan, Hong Kong or China. Infectious diseases know no boundaries. This is a very important point.

  Chen: First, I don't think China has been successful in containing its SARS outbreak. Singapore has imposed very strict quarantine measures and is a very successful example of a country containing the SARS outbreak. China may not be able to contribute too much on how to contain the disease.

  Second, on the verification of the pathogen of SARS, Hong Kong has achieved many outstanding results. Hong Kong identified coronavirus as the causative agent of SARS and has put forth admirable efforts on research.

  Third, the SARS outbreak has taken a toll on Asia's economy. In today's symposium, the second session was devoted to a discussion about the economic impact of SARS.

  Lastly, talking about clinical treatment of SARS cases, Taiwan has been performing brilliantly in this field.

  I don't think China's absence would affect the symposium too much. The first case was found in China on Nov. 16 last year, but China failed to contain the disease immediately. Perhaps it has ignored several key aspects in controlling such an epidemic. China should learn something from its failures.

  TT: How is the progress of the development of SARS vaccines? When will the vaccines be available?

  Chen: If we are lucky enough, perhaps SARS vaccines will be available in one or two years. The US National Institutes of Health have started developing SARS vaccines. However, it usually takes one or two years before a new vaccine is worked out.

  Any new vaccine needs to pass toxicological tests, safety tests and three phases of clinical trials before it is ready for use.

  Take HIV for example. The virus of HIV was determined 20 years ago, but till now no vaccines have been produced to fight the disease. The causative agents of HIV and SARS are both RNA (Ribose Nuclei Acid) viruses. As these viruses are prone to mutate, the difficulties in developing vaccines against diseases caused by them increases.

  To Ka-fai (杜家輝): I am not a virologist. But up to now, the coronaviruses isolated by the Hong Kong CDC, the Canadian group, the University of Hong Kong and the Chinese University of Hong Kong appear similar in terms of their genetic sequences.

  According to their structures, mutation is possible. But whether the viruses do mutate has not really been proven yet. But people have to develop vaccines anyway.
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