OTGV #30 - SARS FREE?
Broadcast Date: 19/05/03
Singaporeans today will wake up to newspaper headlines proclaiming whether Singapore is SARS Free or must it wait another 20 days to achieve this status.
But what does this all mean?
Join Chong Ching Liang in this week's On the Grapevine to find out what being SARS Free means.
=============================
Chances are if you tune in to the radio, watch TV news or read your papers today, Monday the 18th of May, you will see proclamations of whether or not Singapore has achieved the SARS-Free badge.
It is obviously an achievement more valued by the individual countries than by the organisations fighting the global battle against SARS.
For an organisation such as the World Health Organisation or the W-H-O, a SARS Free country is a fluid category since the world isn't SARS Free says its Information Officer Iain Simpson.
"We don't really declare countries SARS Free routinely. We maintain a table where there have been local transmission and there are procedures for which countries are on that or rather which areas are on that and which are not."
More important is whether Singapore ever gets included in the list of countries that the W-H-O warns people to avoid.
Even after the SARS scare at the Pasir Panjang Wholesale Market, Singapore never made it to this list.
W-H-O's Dr Nelgaard on the criteria used to place countries on his organisation's travel advisory.
"I would also like to emphasise also that we will be in contact with the authorities in Singapore before any decision is taken. So it is not a unilateral decision but it is based on criteria that we are currently refining. There are 3 criteria. First one is the size of the outbreak; the second one is the extension of the outbreak beyond the first clear focus of close contacts. And the third one is the export of cases internationally."
Getting the SARS Free nod doesn't translate in a breather for the government or the immigration and health authorities says Mr Simpson's fellow Information Officer, Peter Cordingley.
"Hanoi has been on full alert since it became a SARS free area, and there has been no dropping of the guard, the government authority as well as the WHO team that is there, has actually been stepping up pre-cautions. These things weren't in place from the beginning quite obviously. Some of them got put in place and now even more are being put into place in terms of the airport. There's a long border with, virtually impossible to police that completely but a big effort is now being made to do the best they can."
This need to be constantly vigilant isn't lost on Singaporeans if the feedback from Newsradio's listeners in the TalkBack programme in AM Newstalk is anything to go by.
Mr Lee said being SARS Free is less important than doing the right thing.
"SARS is going to be a long-haul thing and sooner than later I think the whole world will have SARS. Rather than getting worried and all worked up about whether we are going to be SARS Free. What is more important is at the end of the day, people will evaluate how a country view SARS and how we take care of the problem, rather than to say whether we are free or not."
Another caller to Talkback, Johnny, acknowledged the importance of being certified SARS Free but highlighted it's what we do that'll impact us as a nation.
"As far as the May 18th is concerned, from within a Singapore context, it's not a critical day because all the precautions are in place. But I guess to be pragmatic in the sense that Singapore is dependent on the world for business, economy and what have you, achieving the SARS Free status is important for a SARS Free standpoint but within Singapore we should just get on with life as per normal."
W-H-O's Iain Simpson on the main significance to country after it has been judged by to be free of any local transmission by the W-H-O.
"It basically means that Singapore will no longer be asked to conduct exit screening at the airport for people taking flights to make sure there's no export of SARS. Because if there's no local transmission, there's no export of SARS."
Newsradio listener Johnny says whether Singapore can gain economic mileage from being declared "SARS Free" depends on how it maintains its alert against SARS.
"If precautions are in place in relations to the airport, land entry point and sea entry points, that SARS is being checked even after May 18th. If that is well publicise and accepted, that should put Singapore in a very good position."
Fellow caller to AM Newstalk's Talkback segment Mr Lee says Singapore may well have reaped some rewards for its handling of the SARS outbreak here.
"In fact in this bad economic times, this has actually given Singapore a premium, so to speak, over the other countries I mean. People have already holding back investments in China and Taiwan. Things like that. I think as a matter of fact, it is a good thing that has happened."
Yet another caller Mr Pereira thinks that life is returning to normal.
"I gave a Vesak Day talk to about 300 people, and we were expecting a little less than a hundred. Very surprised that everybody turned up. No one was wearing a mask and life was going on as any other Vesak."
But ultimately, until every country in the world is SARS Free or when there's a vaccine or cure found, Singaporean life will be changed.
Health Minister Lim Hng Kiang speaking to reporters about the impact of the Institute of Mental Health SARS-scare.
"Well we can do everything that we do and we will still be facing such situations weeks, months later on. So I think we have to accept the fact that this problem requires utmost vigilance and if there's one breach, one mistake, one mis-diagnosis one carelessness, one selfishness, the problems comes with us. It's not the end of the world. We isolate, we contain, we ring fenced it. It may costs us 15 cases, 10 cases, twenty cases but we will definitely contain it and don't let it spread, provided everybody works with us."
In a world changed by the SARS scourge, any country, SARS Free or not, getting complacent is doing so at its own peril.
This is Chong Ching Liang for Newsradio 938. (now 938Live)
==========================
Related Links:
Newsradio938 (now 938Live)
http://www.938live.sg/
Ministry of Health SARS website
http://www.moh.gov.sg/corp/sars/index.html
World Health Organisation SARS website
http://www.who.int/topics/sars/en/
National Development Ministry's News Release on Pasir Panjang Wholesale Market
http://www.mnd.gov.sg/Newsroom/newsreleases/2003/news280403.htm
Singaporeans today will wake up to newspaper headlines proclaiming whether Singapore is SARS Free or must it wait another 20 days to achieve this status.
But what does this all mean?
Join Chong Ching Liang in this week's On the Grapevine to find out what being SARS Free means.
=============================
Chances are if you tune in to the radio, watch TV news or read your papers today, Monday the 18th of May, you will see proclamations of whether or not Singapore has achieved the SARS-Free badge.
It is obviously an achievement more valued by the individual countries than by the organisations fighting the global battle against SARS.
For an organisation such as the World Health Organisation or the W-H-O, a SARS Free country is a fluid category since the world isn't SARS Free says its Information Officer Iain Simpson.
"We don't really declare countries SARS Free routinely. We maintain a table where there have been local transmission and there are procedures for which countries are on that or rather which areas are on that and which are not."
More important is whether Singapore ever gets included in the list of countries that the W-H-O warns people to avoid.
Even after the SARS scare at the Pasir Panjang Wholesale Market, Singapore never made it to this list.
W-H-O's Dr Nelgaard on the criteria used to place countries on his organisation's travel advisory.
"I would also like to emphasise also that we will be in contact with the authorities in Singapore before any decision is taken. So it is not a unilateral decision but it is based on criteria that we are currently refining. There are 3 criteria. First one is the size of the outbreak; the second one is the extension of the outbreak beyond the first clear focus of close contacts. And the third one is the export of cases internationally."
Getting the SARS Free nod doesn't translate in a breather for the government or the immigration and health authorities says Mr Simpson's fellow Information Officer, Peter Cordingley.
"Hanoi has been on full alert since it became a SARS free area, and there has been no dropping of the guard, the government authority as well as the WHO team that is there, has actually been stepping up pre-cautions. These things weren't in place from the beginning quite obviously. Some of them got put in place and now even more are being put into place in terms of the airport. There's a long border with, virtually impossible to police that completely but a big effort is now being made to do the best they can."
This need to be constantly vigilant isn't lost on Singaporeans if the feedback from Newsradio's listeners in the TalkBack programme in AM Newstalk is anything to go by.
Mr Lee said being SARS Free is less important than doing the right thing.
"SARS is going to be a long-haul thing and sooner than later I think the whole world will have SARS. Rather than getting worried and all worked up about whether we are going to be SARS Free. What is more important is at the end of the day, people will evaluate how a country view SARS and how we take care of the problem, rather than to say whether we are free or not."
Another caller to Talkback, Johnny, acknowledged the importance of being certified SARS Free but highlighted it's what we do that'll impact us as a nation.
"As far as the May 18th is concerned, from within a Singapore context, it's not a critical day because all the precautions are in place. But I guess to be pragmatic in the sense that Singapore is dependent on the world for business, economy and what have you, achieving the SARS Free status is important for a SARS Free standpoint but within Singapore we should just get on with life as per normal."
W-H-O's Iain Simpson on the main significance to country after it has been judged by to be free of any local transmission by the W-H-O.
"It basically means that Singapore will no longer be asked to conduct exit screening at the airport for people taking flights to make sure there's no export of SARS. Because if there's no local transmission, there's no export of SARS."
Newsradio listener Johnny says whether Singapore can gain economic mileage from being declared "SARS Free" depends on how it maintains its alert against SARS.
"If precautions are in place in relations to the airport, land entry point and sea entry points, that SARS is being checked even after May 18th. If that is well publicise and accepted, that should put Singapore in a very good position."
Fellow caller to AM Newstalk's Talkback segment Mr Lee says Singapore may well have reaped some rewards for its handling of the SARS outbreak here.
"In fact in this bad economic times, this has actually given Singapore a premium, so to speak, over the other countries I mean. People have already holding back investments in China and Taiwan. Things like that. I think as a matter of fact, it is a good thing that has happened."
Yet another caller Mr Pereira thinks that life is returning to normal.
"I gave a Vesak Day talk to about 300 people, and we were expecting a little less than a hundred. Very surprised that everybody turned up. No one was wearing a mask and life was going on as any other Vesak."
But ultimately, until every country in the world is SARS Free or when there's a vaccine or cure found, Singaporean life will be changed.
Health Minister Lim Hng Kiang speaking to reporters about the impact of the Institute of Mental Health SARS-scare.
"Well we can do everything that we do and we will still be facing such situations weeks, months later on. So I think we have to accept the fact that this problem requires utmost vigilance and if there's one breach, one mistake, one mis-diagnosis one carelessness, one selfishness, the problems comes with us. It's not the end of the world. We isolate, we contain, we ring fenced it. It may costs us 15 cases, 10 cases, twenty cases but we will definitely contain it and don't let it spread, provided everybody works with us."
In a world changed by the SARS scourge, any country, SARS Free or not, getting complacent is doing so at its own peril.
This is Chong Ching Liang for Newsradio 938. (now 938Live)
==========================
Related Links:
Newsradio938 (now 938Live)
http://www.938live.sg/
Ministry of Health SARS website
http://www.moh.gov.sg/corp/sars/index.html
World Health Organisation SARS website
http://www.who.int/topics/sars/en/
National Development Ministry's News Release on Pasir Panjang Wholesale Market
http://www.mnd.gov.sg/Newsroom/newsreleases/2003/news280403.htm
posted by CHONG Ching-liang | 11:45 AM
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