SARS
victim to be discharged today
Sandesh Prabhudesai
18 April 2003
India's first SARS victim will be discharged today evening,
pending second report of the laboratory test being conducted
in Delhi, since he is not a 'carrier' of the deadly disease.
"He is cent per cent cured of all the clinical symptoms
and free from spreading the disease to others", said
chief minister Manohar Parrikar at a press conference today
morning.
The tourist state has been given green signal by the central
health authorities to discharge the young marine engineer,
though he would remain under voluntary isolation at home for
some time.
The state government as well as the two-member team of the
Delhi-based National Institute of Communicable Diseases had
earlier in the day had consulted union health minister Sushama
Swaraj as well as the central health authorities in this regard.
He was earlier discharged on 12 April after admitting him
in the SARS isolation ward at the GMC hospital on 10 April.
As his laboratory tests were tested positive for SARS on 16
April, he was brought back to the ward same night.
"We have arrived at a conclusion based on the WHO guidelines
since laboratory reports at symptom-free stage is not required
to keep him under confinement", said Dr Sunil Gupta,
representing the NICD.
Even if the young marine engineer is allowed to go home,
Dr Gupta said he would be asked to remain under voluntary
isolation as a matter of additional precaution, until further
notice.
The experts' team left for the national capital today afternoon,
carrying along with them samples of the SARS victim, his wife,
father as well as three doctors and nurses treating the patient
at the GMC hospital here. The reports are expected by Tuesday.
According to Parrikar, the victim had passed the stage of
quarantine on 12 April itself when he was discharged, but
was taken back into custody not to take any risk. Discharging
him pending first laboratory report was not negligence, he
claims.
Adding further, health minister Dr Suresh Amonkar says it
does not matter even if the laboratory reports once again
find him positive for SARS. "He cannot spread it to others",
he added.
Learning a lesson from this case, the state is however tightening
the whole screening procedure further, to make it cent per
cent safe destination for any traveller. A meeting of Mormugao
port as well as the airport authorities has been convened.
The state directorate of health services has also decided
to circulate the WHO guidelines to all the medical practitioners
in the state while the disease has already been notified last
week.
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