Saturday, May 17, 2003

Here's a link to an article in the British Medical Journal, written by a paediatric cardiologist currently based in NUH. I got this off The Guardian's website.

I had a feeling about the IMH scare, and it looks like it may turn out to be right. The authorities are "99% sure" that it isn't SARS, and final confirmation may come as quickly as this afternoon, followed by the possibility of Singapore being taken off the WHO's list of SARS-affected countries by tomorrow. If this does come about, it will mark the end of a physically and emotionally draining saga for all of us here. But let's not lose track of the dangers of complacency. As I mentioned before ( read The Phantom Menace: Lessons Learnt From The SARS Outbreak In Singapore ), there have been marked changes in the ways we practise medicine, and these changes will continue, perhaps indefinitely.

I spotted a book on SARS in a store a few days ago, written by a few doctors from Hong Kong or Taiwan, if I remember correctly. It was mostly technical stuff, with little perspective on a more human scale, so to speak. It would be good if someone could write about SARS from that angle, and get the inside stories from healthcare workers, patients and others who have been significantly affected by the disease. I, for one, would buy such a book if it ever got published.

Updates on Singapore's SARS status will be available tomorrow. I'll post again after I get the news.

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