Home-alone life for Sars patient

By REBECCA WALSH

For the next 12 days, the woman believed to be New Zealand's first Sars victim cannot go to the supermarket or to the movies.

She is allowed visitors but cannot give them a greeting kiss.

The 39-year-old woman, who is in seclusion somewhere in Hawkes Bay, has asked family and friends to stay away. Her only visitor will be a public health nurse.

She began experiencing Sars-like symptoms after a trip to China.

For nearly a week she was in isolation in Hawkes Bay Hospital in a room with a distant view of the ranges.

Her only company was a rotation of five nurses.

Now doctors say she is on the mend, but they may never be able to confirm she had Sars.

On Tuesday last week the woman drove herself to the hospital days after returning from a guided trip to China organised by Hastings travel operators Garry and Marie Mulvanah.

No one else on the tour has shown any symptoms of the virus.

Yesterday Leona Clayton, one of the five nurses who looked after the woman, said she had "no fears whatsoever" of catching Sars.

"This is an isolation ward. It's a specialised area, that's what we are here for. There are good systems in place for staff."

The isolation room on the second floor of the hospital has a room where nurses change into and out of protective clothing, including a mask and goggles.

They had to put on new clothing each time they entered the patient's room.

Hospital officials have described the woman as the ideal patient - she isolated herself on return from China, rang her GP when she started feeling ill and asked people to stay away for their own safety.

Hawkes Bay medical officer of health Dr Caroline McElnay said anyone visiting the woman would have to wear a mask. The woman would also need to wear a mask.

A public health nurse was in contact with her a couple of times a day by phone to check her general health and food had been delivered to her.

Provided her health continued to improve she would be able to "resume normal life" at the end of the isolation period.

A second blood test to rule out legionnaires' disease would be done next week.

Dr McElnay said it was likely doctors would not be able to confirm the woman had Sars, as a blood test was not conclusive.

She said the woman was resilient and physically doing well, but the probable diagnosis and intense media interest "is causing her some concern".

Hawkes Bay Hospital had been preparing for Sars for weeks and she warned other hospitals, particularly those in provincial centres which might not be expecting a case to be prepared.

The hospital's chief operating officer, Anne Hearst, was pleased with its response.

"We have always been thinking ahead the various scenarios."

The hospital had four isolation rooms but could turn an entire ward into a Sars ward if required.

Ms Hearst said other health boards had sought information on how the case had been handled.