Vietnam on brink of curbing SARS
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Vietnam has five SARS patients still in hospital.
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| SARS FACTS |
Suspect case: A person who develops high fever (greater than 38 C / 100.4 F) and respiratory symptoms such as cough, breathing difficulty or shortness of breath, within 10 days of
1) having had close contact with a person who is a suspect or probable case of SARS.
or
2) having traveled to or resided in an affected area.
Probable case: A suspect case with chest X-ray findings of pneumonia or respiratory distress syndrome. |
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GENEVA, Switzerland (CNN) -- Vietnam will become the first country to contain the SARS outbreak if it reaches Monday without a new case, the World Health Organization has said.
The feat would also result in its removal from the WHO's list of SARS-affected countries, the health agency said in a statement on Saturday.
No new cases of SARS have been detected in the country since April 8, the WHO said Saturday. Monday would mark two incubation periods without a new case.
Since Vietnam first recognized the outbreak in Hanoi in late February, the country tallied 63 cases -- including five deaths. As of Friday, five patients remained hospitalized, WHO said.
Vietnam was the second country to be hit by the recently recognized respiratory illness. The first was China, where an outbreak began in southern Guangdong province last November.
WHO staff credited the quick response of Vietnam's public health community and its government to halting the disease's spread.
"The first priority was to contain the disease and monitor each case," said Pascale Brudon, the WHO representative in Vietnam.
"The government showed strong commitment at the highest level from the beginning of the outbreak," the statement said.
"Task forces and provincial teams were established and have worked well. Good procedures of infection control were rapidly established and eventually proved effective in preventing further spread among hospital staff."
In an attempt to keep the disease from entering the country, Vietnam's northern Quang Ninh province recently began barring Chinese tourists at its overland border with China.
Vietnam's ministry of health has recommended that the border be sealed indefinitely, WHO said.
