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Sars: Singapore calls in army
08/04/2003 12:33 - (SA)
Singapore - Singapore's military has for the first time been called in to help health authorities fight the spread of a killer respiratory virus, the defence ministry said on Tuesday.
A defence ministry spokesperson said 50 medics from the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) have been deployed at Changi Airport to beef up screening of passengers arriving from areas affected by Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (Sars).
"The ministry of health has requested for SAF medics to be deployed to Changi International Airport to augment their Sars-screening efforts...About 50 SAF medics have been deployed," the ministry said.
The medics "have received additional training for this task", the ministry said, adding that "all necessary precautions have been taken to ensure the safety and well-being of our personnel".
Nurses from the health ministry have already been carrying out checks on passengers arriving from areas classified by the World Health Organisation as the worst affected by Sars - China, Hong Kong, Toronto and Hanoi.
The defence ministry said its help was sought due to the large number of arriving passengers.
It was the first time military personnel were asked to help battle the spread of Sars, an unusual form of pneumonia which has killed more than 100 people worldwide, including eight in Singapore.
A spokesperson from the ministry of health said they were working to get more military medics to help out.
Aside from the deaths, more than 2 800 people worldwide have been affected, including 113 in Singapore, many of them health workers. - Sapa-AFP
- SAPA
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