Two flu outbreaks, several days apart, at two different hospitals in Hong Kong. These are small signs of what is in store for us when the flu and cold season starts in earnest later this year. They are a test of the infectious disease controls that have been put in place since the spring's Sars outbreak, and they are an indication of the challenges that lie ahead. Scientists are so mystified by the Sars coronavirus that they cannot predict with any certainty when it will reappear and what form it might take. Therefore, taking precautions now is the key to being able to limit the damage caused if Sars should re-emerge.
One of the Hospital Authority's recommendations is that all front-line medical staff and patients at institutions such as Castle Peak psychiatric hospital - site of the latest flu outbreak - should to be vaccinated against the flu. Because the symptoms of flu are so similar to those of Sars, vaccinating people who are at risk of infection reduces the risk of confusion and complications from multiple infections. The authority has asked that vaccinations be carried out starting August 1, and the programme must be made a priority if scares such as the ones last week are to be minimised. In the case of Castle Peak, the vaccinations were not scheduled to be carried out until the beginning of this month. These outbreaks serve as an early-warning bell to other hospitals and front-line clinics, a reminder that if they have not already made plans to start vaccinating, they really must do so now. Facilities that care for the elderly should also be considering such a programme.
The hospitals involved in last week's outbreaks must be commended for the speed with which they reacted, isolating and testing patients. This proves that awareness of the risks of infectious disease is much higher now than it was earlier this year. The challenge will be to continue to be on guard and to diagnose diseases efficiently. As the weather grows cooler in coming months, more outbreaks are, sadly, inevitable. The test for our public health system will be in how well and how quickly it can identify the truly dangerous diseases, and how effectively it stops any infectious disease from spreading. In the Alice Nethersole hospital outbreak, a number of nursing staff passed the infection among themselves. That outbreak was not Sars after all, but policies and procedures - such as having staff wear protective gear and for those with flu-like symptoms to stay at home - should be in place as a precaution.
The mercury readings may be telling us that it is still summer, but as people return from holidays and resume their normal routines in crowded office buildings and housing complexes, and as students return to schools, cleanliness and hygiene standards should be as high as they were during the Sars crisis. The price of complacency, we now know, is far too high.