1st
Memorandum on SARS
To
All Staff:
In
view of the possibility that the hospital may have a patient with Severe Acute
Respiratory Syndrome (SARS), the following general guidelines are formulated:
1.
As
much as possible, refer all patients with suspected SARS to Research Institute
of Tropical Medicine (RITM).
1.1
Bases
for suspecting SARS
Symptoms of common flu with history of travel to
and/or exposure to people who have traveled to China, particularly Hongkong and
Guangdong, Hanoi, Singapore, and other countries with reported SARS cases.
1.2
Conduction policies in the order of
decreasing priority from A to C.
a.
RITM
ambulance and its staff
b.
Private
ambulance and its staff
c.
MDH
ambulance and its staff
2.
If
a patient with suspected SARS cannot be transferred to RITM, admit patient to a
single private room with windows situated at the farthest side of the floor.
3.
Report
all suspected SARS patient seen both at the ER and admitted to the floor to the
Infection Control Committee (c/o Dr. Velmonte) as soon as possible.
4.
In
managing patients with SARS, apply strictly all the standard precautionary
measures for highly infectious diseases, particularly wearing of masks.
5.
For
further information and query on SARS management, contact the Infection Control
Committee c/o Dr. Melecia Velmonte.
Melecia
Velmonte, MD
Chair
Infection
Control Committee
Reynaldo
O. Joson, MD
Assistant
Medical Director