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SARS patient discharged from CMC Hospital

By Our Staff Reporter

VELLORE May 2 . Forty-year-old Ezhumalai of Chinna Pushpagiri in Tiruvannamalai district, who was admitted to the CMC Hospital here on April 24 and who was found infected with Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome, was today discharged from the hospital after having been cured.

"He is totally free from the disease, and is being sent home," said Kurien Thomas, Professor of Medicine at the CMC Hospital.

However, the Tiruvannamalai district health authorities were advised to keep Ezhumalai under home quarantine for another 10 days as a precautionary measure, as per World Health Organisation guidelines. There was no need for anyone to be afraid of the spread of the disease, as the patient had fully recovered. Ezhumalai was advised to come to the hospital again for a check-up after 10 days.

Anand Job, medical superintendent, told The Hindu that at this stage, there was nothing to worry as the patient has been discharged on recovery. To a question, he said the CMC Hospital was taking steps to provide the facilities for testing SARS patients in the hospital itself. However, if any tests were done in the hospital in future after the facilities were acquired, the results would be sent to the National Institute of Virology, Pune, or the National Institute of Communicable Diseases, New Delhi, for confirmation.

The CMC Hospital Director, George M.Chandy, told The Hindu that the hospital was committed to taking care of SARS patients, just as it looked after AIDS and TB patients.

"We will work with government authorities in isolating patients who were found with serious symptoms and educate government health personnel on managing the patients," he said.

If anyone was found with serious SARS symptoms, he or she would be looked after in the special facility created in the hospital, Dr.Chandy said.

No one need be afraid if any SARS patient was treated in the CMC Hospital, as the patient would be kept in the isolation ward with no risk to anyone, he said.

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