- Title: MALAYSIA: AN INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON SARS TAKES PLACE IN MALAYSIA
- Date: 18th June 2003
- Summary: (U4) KUALA LUMPUR, MALAYSIA (JUNE 18, 2003) (REUTERS - ACCESS ALL) 1. SV HONG KONG DELEGATE HEALTH DIRECTOR DR MARGARET F.C. CHAN 0.04 2. SV TAIWANESE DELEGATE DR IH JEN-SU 0.10 3. SLV/SV OF WORLD HEALTH ORGANISATION (WHO) CONFERENCE BREAK-OUT SESSIONS (2 SHOTS) 0.18 4. SLV EXTERIOR OF MEETING ROOMS 0.21 5. CU NOTICES OF CONFERENCE BREAK-OUT SESSIONS (2 SHOTS) 0.29 6. SV TAIWANESE DELEGATE DR IH JEN-SU 0.34 7. MCU (English) TAIWANESE DELEGATE DR IH JEN-SU SAYING: "We hope to have the chance that the WHO can send experts to Taiwan for good, not just during the SARS epidemic. We will issue this appeal, proposal to WHO at the appropriate time. Thank you." 0.55 8. MCU CAMERAMEN 0.58 9. MCU (Cantonese) HONG KONG HEALTH DIRECTOR DR MARGARET F.C. CHAN SAYING: "Most importantly, irrespective of any kind of epidemic, the question is the ability to get accurate information quickly because with accurate information, the front-line workers will be able to co-ordinate clinical experience, public health and analysis to facilitate our work." 1.22 10. SV DR CHAN SPEAKING TO REPORTERS 1.27 11. PAN REPORTERS TO GENOCA DIRECTOR DR JIAN HAN 1.36 12. CU DR JIAN HAN NAME TAG 1.40 13. ZOOM VISUALS OF DIAGNOSTIC KITS FLOWCHART 1.50 14. SV (English) GENOCA DIRECTOR DR JIAN HAN SAYING: "The value or cost of the diagnostics is not only how much it cost to make but how much money you can save for the clinician, hospitals. For example, regularly you have to quarantine a patient for 10 days. If you know at day one that he suffers flu and not SARS, you don't have to quarantine him and how much money you save." 2.11 15. SV WHO DIRECTOR-GENERAL GRO HARLAM BRUNDTLAND SITS AT PRESS CONFERENCE 2.17 16. SV REPORTERS 2.21 17. SV BRUNDTLAND AT PRESS CONFERENCE 2.23 18. MCU (English) WHO DIRECTOR-GENERAL GRO HARLAM BRUNDTLAND SAYING: "Generally the advice we have is to be vigilant and to avoid recurrence in places where this disease has already tapered off or even is already gone. That we don't have a re-entry and that we don't become complacent because we think it is all over. Because in fact as long as the virus is there, and as long as patients are carrying the virus, it can spread." 2.55 19. SV REPORTERS 2.58 20. LV BRUNDTLAND 3.00 21. MCU (English) WHO DIRECTOR-GENERAL GRO HARLAM BRUNDTLAND SAYING: "So we will help by focusing the issues by reminding people. But WHO is not a sack of money. WHO is an important international institution that is dependent on the support of its member states and other actors who are willing to contribute by funding necessary global activities to promote health and prevent disease and ill-health. And we will help keep this issue on the agenda."/END OF PRESS CONFERENCE 3.48 Initials Script is copyright Reuters Limited. All rights reserved
- Embargoed: 3rd July 2003 13:00
- Keywords:
- Location: KUALA LUMPUR, MALAYSIA
- Country: Malaysia
- Reuters ID: LVA92OI6O801ATYZ38VYN7X4DIH
- Story Text: An international conference on SARS in Malaysia has
wound up with officials relieved that an outbreak of the
deadly virus was petering out, but no wiser over how it
originated or how to eradicate it.
More than 1,000 scientists, doctors and health officials
attended the two-day meeting organised by the World Health
Organisation (WHO) to swap ideas on how to stamp out the
flu-like virus which has killed almost 800 people worldwide.
Health delegates from Asia have conducted their second
day of meetings with the World Health Organisation (WHO) in
the Malaysian capital on Wednesday (June 18).
WHO officials say the outbreak, which started in southern
China late last year, is past its worst.
But a senior Hong Kong health official was wary of false
dawns and scientists were still groping for answers.
Margaret Chan, Hong Kong's Director of Health, added that
teaching health workers how to deal with the virus was vital.
She said: "Most importantly, irrespective of any kind of
epidemic, the question is the ability to get accurate
information quickly because with accurate information, the
front-line workers will be able to co-ordinate clinical
experience, public health and analysis to facilitate our
work."
Hong Kong reported no new SARS cases or deaths on
Wednesday, and the territory will have to go five more days
before the U.N. health agency takes it off the list of
SARS-affected areas.
But the virus has already killed 295 people and infected
1,755 in the former British colony.
Removal is automatic 20 days after the last case was
isolated.
Researchers are working on theories that the virus may
have passed to humans because they ate infected animals.
An Australian veterinary expert said SARS symptoms had
been found in both a civet cat.
Hong Kong's Chan said she wanted countries to be more
willing to surrender data and improve circulation of clinical
specimens to laboratories set up to fight the disease.
China has been heavily criticised for its tardiness in
revealing more when SARS first struck.
And in Taiwan on Wednesday two doctors were charged with
covering up SARS cases that allowed the virus to spread
unchecked through a Taipei hospital, leading to the island's
first and worst outbreak.
Speaking outside the meeting room, Taiwanese delegate Dr
Ih Jen-Su told Reuters he wanted SARS experts sent to his
country permanently. He said: "We hope to have the chance that
the WHO can send experts to Taiwan for good, not just during
the SARS epidemic."
At a news conference in Kuala Lumpur WHO Director-General
Gro Harlam Brundtland reiterated the organisation's advice to
the public. "Generally the advice we have is to be vigilant
and to avoid recurrence in places where this disease has
already tapered off or even is already gone. That we don't
have a re-entry and that we don't become complacent because we
think it is all over. Because in fact as long as the virus is
there, and as long as patients are carrying the virus, it can
spread."
Brundtland said her organisation would help "by focusing
the issues by reminding people." But she reminded reporters
that the WHO could not act alone. She said: "The WHO is not a
sack of money. WHO is an important international institution
that is dependent on the support of its member states and
other actors who are willing to contribute by funding
necessary global activities to promote health and prevent
disease and ill-health. And we will help keep this issue on
the agenda."
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