SARS STOCKS

[timhyma]

This may give APT a boost-
HK health authorities admit to shortage of top-grade SARS protective masks


HONG KONG (AFP) - Hong Kong's Hospital Authority has admitted that its current supply of top-grade protective N-95 surgical masks would not be sufficient in the event of a major SARS (news - web sites) outbreak lasting over three months.


Speaking on a radio programme, director for professional and corporate affairs, Dr Ko Wing-man, said the decision to purchase the N-95 masks from selected suppliers to ensure their high standards, had caused the shortfall.


At the height of the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) outbreak in April, the authority came under fire from some medics because of a shortage of protective N-95 masks -- used by many hospital staff who treated SARS patients -- while a quantity of other masks were found to be inadequate or faulty.


Ko admitted that "ideally the authority could be a position whereby staff who needed a mask could obtain one whenever they wanted" but stressed the shortage problem would be resolved next month when more N-95 masks arrived.


He also attempted to ease fears that health authorities would not be able to cope with an immediate SARS outbreak saying the supply of all other protective gear was "adequate".


It was essential for the authority to have a minimum 90-day supply of SARS-related protective gear because the virus had a three-month peak period during the outbreak beginning in March this year.


Hong Kong was the second worst-affected region with 297 SARS-related deaths and nearly 1,800 infections. The territory was removed from the World Health Organisation's (WHO) list of SARS-affected regions on June 23.


The admission came as a spate of new SARS alerts last week raised fears of a re-emergence of the pneumonia-like virus in the territory.


A 34-year-old woman and the sick patients from three hospitals were later confirmed to have flu and other respiratory diseases and not SARS.


The earlier global outbreak of SARS infected more than 8,000 people and left more than 900 dead in 32 countries, with some 349 of the fatalities and 5,327 of the infections recorded in China.
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/afp/20030921/sc_afp/health_sars_hongkong_03092108...