SARS gives SEAG the chill

There’s another deadly force that might await the hundreds of Filipino athletes who will see action in the 22nd Southeast Asian Games in Vietnam this December.

No, it’s not the boxers of Thailand or the runners of Malaysia, the netters of Indonesia or the shooters of Vietnam. Instead, it might be the dreaded Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome or SARS.

The mysterious flu-like illness, despite efforts to contain it, has been on the loose and silently wreaking havoc worldwide ever since it was discovered and detected early this year.

There is still no cure for the disease.

From a total of 60 deaths as of March 27, the toll has risen to 68 as of April 1 and 78 as of the other day with 46 casualties in China, 16 in Hong Kong, six in Canada, four each in Singapore and Vietnam and two in Thailand.

There have been 78 cases in Singapore and 58 in Vietnam with positive transmission or the spreading of the disease. Thailand only has three reported cases with negative transmission.

So far, no SARS cases have been reported in the Philippines or other Southeast Asian countries like Malaysia or Indonesia although its clear presence in Singapore, Vietnam or Thailand is enough reason to worry.

"I’m sure the Vietnamese government or any other government is wary about the SARS epidemic," said Philippine Sports Commission chairman Eric Buhain yesterday.

"So obviously, if it escalates, then the Southeast Asian body (in sports) will be convening. I hope it doesn’t dahil maganda na ang preparations natin for the SEA Games and it’s going to be a strong team," said Buhain.

Buhain issued the reaction after the Department of Health issued an advisory the other day urging people traveling from the Philippines to forego their scheduled trips to countries with known SARS cases.

Buhain said he would immediately contact health officials regarding the extent of the advisory.

Philippine Olympic Committee president Celso Dayrit is bound for Vietnam next week for a SEA Games federation meeting. He said the SARS issue is not on the agenda but might be tackled just the same.

With the DOH directive, however, the POC president might be forced to cancel his trip or face quarantine upon his return.

As a result of the SARS scare, the Asian Zonals Chess Championships and the San Miguel 9-Ball Asian Tour, both set in Vietnam this month, have been cancelled.

"Dapat ma-contain ‘yan on time. Otherwise we will have to ask the government to make an inquiry on this. We will have to monitor this for a month or two before we decide," said Buhain.

Buhain said despite the short list of casualties in Singapore and Vietnam, what’s alarming is the fact that there have been transmission cases in both countries, confirming the presence or proliferation of the virus.

This means that the Filipino athletes might be exposed to it.

"That’s right. And pupunta din ang athletes ng Thailand and Singapore sa Vietnam. If it really turns into an epidemic, dapat ma-convene ang SEAG body," he said.

The SARS outbreak prompted officials of the ESPN STAR Sports to postpone the San Miguel Asian 9-ball Tour leg in Vietnam originally scheduled to take place in Ho Chi Minh City on April 12-13. The tour was launched last month in Singapore and will have stops in Vietnam, Hong Kong, Taipei and Manila.

"Due to the health concerns surrounding the SARS outbreak, we feel it is prudent to reschedule the Vietnam leg of the San Miguel 9-ball Asian Tour. The safety of the players and spectators are of the highest importance to us as organizers of the tour. We will continue to monitor the situation before announcing the new competition dates," said Richard Young, ESPN STAR Sports’ vice president of Event Management and Program Development.