BBC: India's Sars detection 'farcical'

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Headline:  India's Sars detection 'farcical'

Source BBC News Monday, 28 April, 2003 at:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/south_asia/2982907.stm



By Sanjeev Srivastava

BBC India correspondent



Quote by Dr Sanjeev Malik  Indian Medical Association:  "We have no disease
detection system. There are no Sars testing kits "

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If the matter was not so serious, the circumstances surrounding the
detection of the first few cases of Sars in India - and the ensuing panic -
could almost be described as comical.



The first confirmed case of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome was in Goa
when a marine engineer tested positive for the virus earlier this month.



He has now recovered fully.



Then three cases were found in quick succession in the western city of Pune
where the wedding plans of Julie D'Souza were progressing fine until her
Sars-infected brother arrived to join the festivities from Jakarta.



Soon, both Julie and her mother also contracted the pneumonia-like
infection.



But rather than defer the wedding, the family decided to go ahead.



Reluctant doctors were forced to relent as the bride threatened suicide and
the groom - a local politician - used his influence to browbeat all those
opposing the marriage.



The marriage plans thus went as per schedule - but only just.



At the time the bride should have been cutting the cake with the groom, she
was being taken to a local hospital.



As news of the family being infected with Sars spread, the entire marriage
party was quarantined.



Soon there was so much panic that the staff of the private hospital where
the Sars-infected family had been admitted decided to force out patients
with the deadly virus.



They closed the hospital for 10 days and decided to quarantine themselves.



That was last week.



Similar panic was witnessed in Calcutta on Monday, where two Sars cases have
now been confirmed.



 The Calcutta hospital where one of the Sars sufferers is being kept in
isolation is witnessing a rush of patients leaving the hospital in panic.



Some locals even pelted the hospital building with stones, demanding the
Sars patient be thrown out of the hospital.



Meanwhile, sensing a killing, the city shopkeepers have decided to double
the price of face masks which are suddenly much in demand.



In another case, Indian officials are still investigating how a patient
being tested for Sars in Bombay, also called Mumbai, was allowed to fly to
Delhi last week.



Vigilance call



Compared to some other countries - especially those in Asia Pacific - the
number of Sars cases is still quite low in India and most of the confirmed
cases are also responding well to medication.



The Indian Government has also announced stringent measures to screen
incoming travellers from Sars-affected countries.





The number of doctors at international airports has been increased following
a meeting the federal health minister, Ms Sushma Swaraj, had with state
representatives in Delhi last week.



But still, health workers in the country remain worried and say any laxity
on the part of the authorities could be disastrous in the world's second
most populous country.



A large segment of India's one billion plus population still has no access
to quality health care.



"We have no disease detection system. There are no Sars testing kits and
there are only a couple of laboratories in the entire country where the Sars
virus can be tested," Dr Sanjeev Malik of the Indian Medical Association
told the BBC.



According to Dr Malik, the government needs to be more vigilant.



While a general alert has been sounded, there is still no public awareness
campaign telling people how the disease spreads and what precautions are
needed.

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