Doctors were last night trying to trace anyone who may have been in contact with a woman with SARS-like symptoms, who was released from hospital to a Dublin hostel at the weekend, writes Eithne Donnellan, Health Correspondent.
The Minister for Health, Mr Martin, has admitted the strike by public health doctors means "we are not at full capacity in terms of dealing with an issue like this". Also yesterday, discussions about the threat posed by the Special Olympics, to be held in Dublin in June, were adjourned to later this week.
The Chinese woman at the centre of the SARS scare had just returned from South- East Asia when she presented at the A&E department of St Vincent's Hospital with a high temperature on Friday evening. After initial investigation, it was decided she should be treated as a suspected case of SARS but that her condition did not warrant detention in hospital. She was released to the hostel where she had been staying and told to wear a mask.
Public health doctors, who are now in their second week of strike action over pay and working conditions, were contacted yesterday about the case and five left the picket line to interview the woman, assisted by interpreters. They were still talking to her late last night and afterwards planned to trace anyone who may have been in contact with her at the hostel over the weekend.
The Eastern Regional Health Authority, in a statement, said the woman was being "treated in accordance with best practice guidelines" and that her symptoms had improved since the weekend.
Last night, the vice-president of the Irish Medical Organisation, Dr Joe Barry, expressed concern about the way the woman was released into the community, with the potential to spread any possible infection. However, he understood the woman was more likely to be a probable SARS case than a suspect SARS case.
A spokesman for St Vincent's Hospital said the woman had been medically assessed and it was deemed appropriate to discharge her home. International guidelines allowed for some cases to be discharged, he said. "As a precautionary measure she was given a mask and advised if there was any change in her condition to come back to A&E."
The results of blood tests on the woman are expected today. Her condition was among a number of issues discussed by the Department of Health's SARS expert group yesterday afternoon. It also drew up guidelines for schools with foreign students returning from SARS-affected areas such as China and Hong Kong after the Easter break. They recommended schools should contact pupils prior to their return and advise them to be screened before travelling. If they were unwell or in recent contact with a known case of SARS, they should be advised not to travel for 10 days.
They also discussed the Special Olympics and the threat posed by SARS and "identified major issues which need to be addressed".