WHO: SARS may be something we have to live with

Just when everybody’s starting to heave a sigh of relief that the SARS (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome) outbreak seems to be under control (with the Philippines, Hong Kong, Singapore, Vietnam and, only recently, Toronto, among the hardest-hit, declared SARS-free), another viral disease (the mosquito-borne Japanese encephalitis) is reported by the Department of Health to have killed a child and downed two others in Bamban, Tarlac. But more on JE (Japanese encephalitis) in a future article by our resident doctor, Tyrone Reyes.

Leaving more than 800 persons dead in its wake since it was detected in November last year in southern China, the SARS epidemic was officially declared over in a WHO (World Health Organization) conference held recently in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. In the conference, Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra noted that SARS had caused economic damage more rapidly than did the Asian financial flu in 1997. Indeed, the WHO declaration received a fever-pitch welcome from everyone (probably especially people from the airline, travel and hotel industries). Will we soon see crippled – nay, maimed – Hong Kong (where even the five-star hotels reportedly had only five guests or less at the height of SARS) get back on its feet? And yes, lah, The Lion City that is Singapore is all set to give its guests a roaring "welcome back" fete.

But before you hop on the first plane to Hong Kong or Singapore, here’s a SARS update (as we go to press Saturday, July 5) from Peter Cordingley, PIO spokesman of the World Health Organization Western Pacific Regional Office.

STAR: With Hong Kong, Singapore, Vietnam and the Philippines taken off the SARS list, are tourists traveling to these countries completely safe from SARS?

PETER CORDINGLEY: Yes. But, as we are not saying that SARS has been eradicated, the public should continue to exercise good personal hygiene, including washing hands regularly.

Hong Kong and Singapore are luring tourists back with a grand welcome, are there SARS measures still in place in these shopping hubs?

Some members of the service industry in HK (department stores, etc.) still wear masks, but they are disappearing with each passing day.

Is WHO working with the airline industry to protect the health of travelers?

There are no particular measures relating to the airline industry as SARS is not normally spread in an aircraft environment.

Is SARS now under control?

Yes, we are confident that the international spread of the virus has been halted and that human-to-human transmission has been broken. However, this is no time for complacency. The public, medical and other authorities still have to be on their guard.

How soon will an anti-SARS vaccine be developed?

Unless there is an unexpected breakthrough, this may take at least two years.

When does WHO see SARS as being eradicated?

No. And we are not sure it can be eradicated. SARS may be something we have to live with, although a vaccine would, of course, considerably reduce its threat to the public.

Is WHO issuing any travel guidelines in a post-SARS scenario?

No.

Does WHO foresee any threats from something more serious than SARS in the near future?

We believe that a major worldwide pandemic of some kind of a disease, possibly flu-like in nature, is possible. We are working hard to ensure that if it does break out, we will be ready.

The latest buzz: Recipe vs mosquitoes

’Tis the season for mosquitoes. With the threat of dengue (and now Japanese encephalitis) hovering over our heads, here’s the latest buzz. Consumer Reports magazine reports that an experiment was done on 500 hungry (blood-thirsty) mosquitoes, which were gathered in a cage. The spunky volunteers applied repellents (Skin-So-Soft by Avon) to their arms and stuck them into the cage. The verdict was that this wonder bath oil was not as effective against aggressive mosquitoes. But one reader was so sold on Skin-So-Soft that she angrily wrote the magazine that it was wrong and related, "I play golf regularly twice a week, and the very few times I’ve played without Skin-So-Soft I’ve come home with bites and been pestered by bees."

Another reader gave this unsolicited advice: "Here’s the best recipe for mosquito repellent – 1 tablespoon citronella oil, 2 cups white vinegar, 1 cup water, 1 cup Avon Skin-So-Soft. This really works."

Truth of the matter is, Skin-So-Soft has never been marketed by Avon as an insect repellent. But with people gravitating to it like gadflies to carabaos, Avon soon came out with an insect repellent called Skin-So-Soft Moisturizing Suncare Mosquito, Flea & Deer Tick Repellent with oil of citronella as one of its active ingredients.

Sleep tight and don’t let the mosquitoes bite!

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If there’s something bugging you, e-mail us at ching_alano@ yahoo.com.