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SCMP Reporter

Hongkongers have been conditioned to blindly criticise Chief Executive Tung Chee-hwa for all the ills of Hong Kong.

Perhaps they will be surprised to discover how poorly Canadian politicians have handled the crisis over severe acute respiratory syndrome (Sars).

In spite of the rising number of Sars cases in Toronto and the severe damage already suffered by the Ontario tourism industry, Toronto Mayor Mel Lastman could not find time to discuss the Sars situation in the city council meeting on April 17, even though Sars was on the meeting agenda. It was more important to discuss smoking bylaws (a decision was deferred) and limousine licensing.

'Our mayor has been silent on the whole Sars situation. Where's Rudy Giuliani when he's needed?' said an editorial on Sars in The Globe and Mail. 'Toronto could use that kind of leadership now.'

The only action taken by Prime Minister Jean Chretien and Ontario Premier Ernie Eves was to eat at a Chinatown restaurant with an entourage of reporters, a rather empty gesture considering they rejected funding to assist people and businesses hurt by Sars.

What about Ontario public health's response? A leading American newspaper said on April 18: 'The Ontario health system's misjudgments escalated the new Sars outbreak.'

The Ontario voluntary quarantine policy relies on the assumptions that:

People will stay home for the good of the community in spite of their loss of incomes; and

That the maximum incubation period for Sars is 10 day and that only symptomatic patients are contagious.

Unfortunately, as new Sars clusters have unfolded, both assumptions have proven problematic.

Despite the rising incidence of Sars, Ontario Public Health hides behind the myth that Sars is 'contained' just because all cases can be traced to the first one in Toronto.

In fact, if you look at the Sars number in terms of the disease incidence rate (i.e. incidence relative to the population at risk), Toronto has 230 Sars cases in a population of 2.5 million.

This is not that much lower than Hong Kong's rate (approximately 1,300 in 6.7 million).

While Hong Kong did not have any prior experience to learn from and its initial mistakes are understandable, it is rather disturbing that the Canadian team did not learn from Hong Kong's experience.

In contrast to the Canadian government, Mr Tung and his team have shown that they have learned from their mistakes.

The transparency of the Hong Kong government and its medical establishment's handling of this crisis is also universally admired.

DR PAUL C LEE

Toronto General Hospital

TOPSY-TURVY WORLD

China, a communist dictatorship, dismisses a minister of its government, the minister of health, under the doctrine of accountability and responsibility.

Hong Kong, a capitalist democracy, refuses to dismiss a minister, the financial secretary, on the basis that whatever happened, he was a 'decent chap' and consequently neither accountable nor responsible.

What a topsy-turvy world we live in.

P K LI

New Territories

KNOW THY ENEMY

Tell us more about the new coronavirus, which causes severe acute respiratory syndrome (Sars).

We know that we should not shake hands with others and should wash our hands frequently, wear masks and pay careful attention to personal hygiene.

But we do not know everything about the coronavirus.

I urge the government to release more information about the coronavirus as soon as it comes to hand in order to mitigate panic in the community.

What we want to know that cannot be found in the government's Web site are answers to these questions:

In what conditions (temperature, humidity, environment) will the virus survive?;

How long will it live on different substances in such conditions?; and

Is the virus still lethal under direct sunlight?

I object to the present weight of the propaganda, prognoses and general coverage of Sars.

Until we know more about the coronavirus, we should keep silent to overcome fear.

Y K WONG

Yuen Long

COMPULSORY HYGIENE

It is no secret that Hong Kong's sanitary habits need improvement. Witness the cleanup crews at work in the face of the Sars outbreak.

But habits are learned, developed and absorbed over time, especially by example.

Why not invest in the future so that an interest in hygiene and sanitation becomes almost second nature to our children and is demonstrated to them daily?

For a start, make a pass in a hygiene and sanitation course (with practical applications) compulsory for all students vying for a Form 5 certificate or any graduation diploma.

I believe that if this requirement were implemented at the start of the next school year - and perhaps modified so that courses were also taught at very junior levels and continued throughout a student's school career - in a few years our city and country parks will be much, much cleaner.

Surely we have the resources to turn such a simple proposal into reality. Is the secretary for education and manpower paying attention?

LEONARD BRIZIO

Peng Chau

SPIRIT OF SHARING

The outbreak of Sars in Guangdong was a natural disaster that nobody saw coming.

Once it struck in Hong Kong, how we handle the disease is in the human domain.

If we do well, Sars' impact should be minimised.

If we fail miserably, Sars will be transformed into a man-made disaster.

We may regret that Hong Kong had not been forewarned, hospitals were not adequately equipped to handle the crisis, and that more forceful containment measures were not taken earlier. But now we can do the right things. How to do this? It is most important to clearly establish the guiding principle 'Effective containment of Sars is job number one for all of Hong Kong'.

Under this guiding principle, will not medical research institutes share their knowledge more readily, Hong Kong make better use of resources available everywhere, and citizens become more tolerant of difficult measures?

It is also crucial to quickly establish a Sars Control Centre to continually assess all available Sars information, and initiate and co-ordinate actions.

It would have the full authority of the government, be empowered by the 'Sars first' guiding principle and advised by the best medical and other experts available, locally and overseas.

With these measures, Hong Kong will become a stronger community and will win a reputation as a world-class city that has successfully withstood a deadly disaster with integrity and determination.

To handle Sars in a reactive mode and secretly wish it will fade away is to court a devastating man-made disaster.

DAVID C K LO

Lam Tin

WHAT ABOUT THE MIDGES?

Anyone who has sat five minutes on a bench in a public park has been bitten a number of times by midges and gnats.

When were Hong Kong's public benches last cleaned?

Contractors are hired to use water guns blasting hot water on pavements near restaurants and in the wet markets. These men could blast the undersides and supports of benches periodically.

There may be no connection with dengue fever, which started on Ma Wan Island and was spread by mosquitoes to Shamshuipo,  but since has not been followed by the media.

The frenzied spread of Sars from Amoy Garden to Ngau Tau Kok led epidemiologists to suspect sewage, cockroaches and rats. What about insects?

Ask the entymologists how, whatever they are called, these tiny flying bugs can spread disease.

Try sitting out in the Pavilion at Ling Nam Garden in Lai Chi Kok Park or sitting on a bench in the Tai Chi Garden next to the aviary in Hong Kong Park. You will be the object of a feeding fest.

MICHAEL FOLTA

Lai Chi Kok



A CRISIS MODEL