More Sars deaths in Canada
2003-04-26 20:30
Montreal - Any hopes that Sars could be quickly eradicated in Canada were dashed after three more people died of the disease in just over 24 hours, casting doubts on official claims of containment.
Canadian health officials on Friday reported the three new deaths from severe acute respiratory syndrome (Sars) in the Toronto area, bringing to 19 the death toll from the virulent new strain of pneumonia.
Some 341 possible Sars cases have also been reported in Canada.
Still, government experts sought to downplay the health threat in the country with the largest outbreak of the disease outside of Asia.
"We've seen no more transmission for more than three weeks, and we are going to be labelled as a high risk area," Donald Low, a microbiologist at Toronto's Mount Sinai Hospital, told CBC television. It is one of city's two hospitals where Sars has been transmitted - and largely contained.
Ontario's commissioner of health, Doctor Colin D'Cunha, insisted on Friday: "We believe we've clearly combated community transmission."
He reiterated that no new case had been detected outside the health institutions since April 9. That is just days short of the three weeks considered by the World Health Organisation (WHO) to be twice the maximum incubation period of Sars.
To date, Canada's Sars victims have been almost exclusively the elderly, in an already weakened state of health. However one of the latest deaths was a 44-year-old man with no apparent medical problem.
Just the same, officials stressed that the young and healthy are by no means immune.
"We know from our experience that younger people and well people get very sick with this," said Dr James Young, Commissioner of Public Security. "We expected with our high number of cases that might happen."
Medical officials insisted that households and other locations where the disease might propagate have been identified and are under control, and that there is no transmission of the disease in the community at large.
"It's really unfortunate," said Mt Sinai's Low. "There is no risk for anybody coming to Toronto, almost zero risk for people in Toronto doing their normal business.
"I don't think we will see increasing cases in the community."
The WHO this week issued an advisory saying people should defer non-essential travel to Toronto, Canada's largest city, because of the Sars outbreak here.
Beijing and the Chinese province of Shanxi were also on the advisory.
Canadian authorities, exasperated by the WHO warning, are hoping it will be lifted in the coming weeks.
Canadian Prime Minister Jean Chretien, back from a 12-day vacation, said "the problem seems to be quite contained at this moment.
"We all believe that the World Health Organisation came to the wrong conclusion," he said, reproaching WHO director Gro Harlem Brundtland for a "bad decision."
The entertainment world appeared unconvinced.
Pop icons Elton John and Billy Joel cancelled their Toronto concert scheduled for Monday evening over fears related of the Sars epidemic gripping the city, concert producers said in a statement citing the WHO warning.
They said tour insurers "have been advised against the show taking place in the interest of public safety in Toronto and other concert stops."
"Elton John and Billy Joel are both deeply disappointed that the show cannot proceed on Monday, and plans are underway to attempt to reschedule the 'Face to Face' Toronto engagement," the producers added, noting that refunds would be issued to the thousands of fans who bought tickets for the concert.
Six Ontario nurses meanwhile resigned, citing mounting pressure on medical personnel over the past seven weeks.
A growing exodus from Canada's financial capital was beginning to weigh on the country's economy.
The Canadian Labour Congress is calling for an emergency national summit of government, labour, business and community leaders in Toronto to deal with the social and economic impacts of the Sars outbreak.