Ministry says National Committee on SARS on Alert

Addis Ababa, April 17(ENA)-- The Ministry of Health says it has set up a national committee to guard the deadly pneumonia-like virus- Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS), which has surfaced in more than 30 countries around the world.

The national committee, which is formed from various pertinent bodies, told journalists on Thursday that it has regularly been gathering relevant information on the general features and the trend of the deadly disease.

The committee has been working closely with the World Health Organization (WHO), the U.S.-based Center for Disease Control (CDC) and other partners on the effects of the disease.

The national committee says it has set up information dissemination, quarantine, study and emergency sub-committees while disseminating general information related to the disease for the various regional states.

So far there has been no cases of SARS reported in Ethiopia, the committee said, adding necessary measures are being taken in Dire Dawa and Addis Ababa International Airports.

The quarantine service, which is being jointly administered by the airline and the ministry, has been strengthened by manpower and other neccessary resources, the committee said.

Monitoring activities were being conducted on travelers coming from the countries highly affected by the disease, the committee said.

Currently, doctors worldwide diagnose SARS patients by monitoring a combination of symptoms, including very high fever, breathing difficulties and dry cough as well as contact with someone suspected of having SARS.

SARS, which has killed more than 150 people around the world, is believed to have originated from the southern Chinese province of Guangdong and spread to many other countries via air travel.

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