Fed: Government taking SARS seriously says Downer

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Fed: Government taking SARS seriously says Downer

ADELAIDE, April 22 AAP - The federal government was concerned at the spread of severeacute respiratory syndrome (SARS), Foreign Minister Alexander Downer said today.

Mr Downer believed adequate precautions had been taken in Australia to prevent an outbreakof the deadly virus despite some medicos saying authorities were unprepared for such anevent.

"I take very seriously the SARS virus," Mr Downer told reporters in Adelaide.

"I have been very disturbed at the large number of cases that have emerged over thelast few weeks.

"Our travel advisories certainly reflect the concern of the government in making surepeople do know where SARS outbreaks are taking place, to counsel caution to people."

Mr Downer also said the government had "no idea" whether any of 42 Vietnamese boatpeople reported to be headed for Australia had SARS.

"I would have thought it highly unlikely but nevertheless that's what some people inIndonesia are saying," Mr Downer said.

Infectious diseases specialist Lyn Gilbert said today intensive care units would bestretched to their limits in the event of a SARS outbreak in Australia.

Her comments come after an Australian doctor who has been in close contact with SARSpatients in Hong Kong said authorities here were unprepared for an outbreak of the deadlyvirus.

Dr Peter Cameron, professor of emergency medicine at Prince of Wales Hospital in HongKong, yesterday warned Australia's health care system would be completely paralysed byan outbreak of 500 SARS cases in Melbourne or Sydney.

Prof Gilbert, director of microbiology at Sydney's Westmead Hospital, said the mainproblem with SARS was the 20-30 per cent of patients who required intensive care, notthe numbers killed.

"In a sense there's really no way around being underprepared for an outbreak untilit happens," she told AAP.

"It's true that if we suddenly get a large number of cases, intensive care units inAustralia we will be hard pressed to manage because ICU are usually running pretty closeto full."

AAP sl/was/de

KEYWORD: SARS DOWNER