Risks in close contact

By STEVE HART

With all the talk about Sars - severe acute respiratory syndrome - it's no wonder some people are starting to think twice before travelling to places such as Hong Kong and other parts of Asia where the virus first appeared.

While theories are starting to surface that the killer virus - that affects the lungs - could be linked to diseases carried by fruit bats, the question that needs to be asked is: how can people reduce the risk of catching Sars?

Dr David Millar of Knomad, the online travel health firm, says people need to assess their risk before leaving the country.

"When groups such as the World Health Organisation [WHO] recommend people not to travel, then the decision is easy," he said. "But in the case of Sars, that recommendation has not been made."

Dr Millar says a simple self-assessment can help people to make a decision.

He says people at highest risk are medical personnel working in regions where Sars is known to exist and individuals with ongoing health problems likely to require medical care.

Moderate- to low-risk people are those who frequently use public transport in infected regions, use dormitory-style accommodation or are constantly exposed to large numbers of people.

Low risk, he says, are travellers to infected regions.

"If people have a predisposition to heart or lung problems then they should expect to have a higher risk of complications to lung disease such as Sars," said Dr Millar. "The greater the risk, the more those people should consider deferring travel to infected regions."

But for those people going anyway, he offers tips to avoid catching the virus.

* Minimise exposure to crowded or poorly ventilated areas in infected regions, particularly Hong Kong and Guangdong. He suggests people use taxis rather than buses or trains.

* Take extra care with personal hygiene. Wash hands well, do not share cups and eating utensils.

* Be aware of the possibility of Sars in any friends or family who have high fever and who display any of the following symptoms: coughing, shortness of breath and difficulty breathing.

Sars is thought to be spread by close contact with those already infected and is not, according to Dr David Heymann of WHO, a disease that "you can pick up walking through an airport".

University scientists in Hong Kong last week said Sars is from the paramyxo family of viruses and is not the feared influenza virus.

The paramyxo family produces mumps, measles and canine distemper.

It also includes three viruses similar to Sars that have originated in fruit bats in Asia and Australia, spread to other animals such as pigs and horses and been passed to humans.



"Knowing that it's a paramyxo virus and not an influenza virus very greatly reduces the likelihood of a global pandemic," said Professor Roger Morris of Massey University, a leading New Zealand scientist in influenza transmission.

Sars has now killed up to 14 people worldwide, with more than 120 infected in Hong Kong, where the tourism industry has been hit.

However, there must be several more weeks of tests before the scientists' claim is confirmed.

"Due to deforestation, there's getting to be more contact between bats and people. Bats happen to be a reservoir for an amazing range of viruses, but they appear to suffer no ill effects whatsoever," said Roger Morris.

Experts say the Hong Kong discovery probably rules out the possibility the illness is a new influenza strain like the 1918 pandemic that killed an estimated 20 million people.

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