Advice to Health Professionals - SARS Maintaining Vigilance

SARS (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome)
Advice for Health Professionals

Current situation
Travel advice
What is happening at the border?
SARS signs in Healthcare settings
Maintaining vigilance
Travel history
Presenting patients
Restrictions on activities
Changes to the global situation
Related information

Current Situation

The World Health Organization advises that all known chains of person-to-person transmission of the SARS virus have now been broken.

There are now no SARS affected areas.

Travel advice

The Ministry is no longer advising against travel to any country on the basis of SARS.

What is happening at the border?

Nurses are no longer at New Zealand’s international airports.

SARS signs in Healthcare settings

SARS signs in health care settings are no longer considered necessary and can be taken down.

Maintaining vigilance

SARS is currently no longer considered a significant risk to the health of New Zealanders. However, a return of the disease in other parts of the world cannot be ruled out and the Ministry advises that you continue to be alert to the risk of SARS and other travel-related infectious diseases.

Travel history

As SARS is highly transmissible within heath care environments clinicians need to maintain a high index of suspicion. It is important that health practitioners continue to take travel history as part of the assessment when a patient presents, particularly with fever, respiratory symptoms and diarrhoea.

SARS has also emphasised the international vulnerability to communicable disease in the age of rapid and increasing travel. A travel history is always important particularly when a patient presents with a fever. A history of recent travel widens the diagnostic net.

The challenge within New Zealand now is to keep up the vigilance for exotic infections that may have huge health and economic impacts for the country.

Presenting patients

It is important for medical practitioners to continue to remain alert to anything clinically suspicious and consult with an infectious disease physician or a Medical Officer of Health as necessary.

Restrictions on activities

The Ministry no longer advises against visiting, attending or working in a hospital if a person comes from a former SARS affected area. Other previous recommended restrictions on elective surgery, elective medical visits, non-urgent dental work and blood donation also no longer apply.

The exceptions to this are those people who fit the criteria in the previous section. In which case it is advisable to discuss the situation with an infectious disease physician or a Medical Officer of Health.

Changes to global situation

If there is a change to the current low risk level of SARS the Ministry will ensure that you are informed promptly.

Related information:

SARS research in The Lancet, 2004; 363: 841-45 (summary of article available online - free registration required first to access the information)

Lab protocol

Post outbreak advice from the World Health Organization (www.who.int)

Case definitions for surveillance of SARS

Read the latest updates on SARS from the World Health Organization (www.who.int)

Page last updated: 25 October 2007