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Jaffna patient died of pneumonia, not SARS

by Bharatha Malawaraarachchi

The Health Ministry has initiated an immediate inquiry into the death of a suspected SARS patient at the Jaffna Teaching Hospital.

However, a senior health official yesterday denied that this death had any involvement with the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) virus which is fast spreading in Asia causing much damge economically." This patient is believed to have died of a typical pneumonia with secondary infection," he added.

This 22 year old woman patient who is alleged to have suffered from symptoms similar to SARS died Wednesday morning. She was from a village in the Jaffna district. "It has not yet been confirmed whether she died of SARS", said a senior official at the Epidemology Department adding that around 10 patients had died over the last year at the same hospital due to another kind of pneumonia. Officials noted that there was no possible way for this patient to have contact with a SARS patient." You can't get the virus without contact with an affected person and it has been clear that this patient did not have any contact with such a patient."

Referring to reports that the patient's relatives had recently come from Canada, the official noted that they were in good health and not been affected by SARS. Director General of Health Services Dr. Athula Kahandaliyange had flown to Jaffna to conduct an on-the-spot inquiry.

Samples were also scheduled to be sent to the Medical Research Institute, Borella for further testing and investigations.

Meanwhile, Jaffna Hospital sources said the room where this patient was treated had been sealed. It would be opened within a few days once the tests are over.

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