SARS in Singapore
by Lazeeladee
I believe by this time, many have heard about the outbreak of SARS(Severe
Acute Respiratory Syndrome) or atypical pneumonia in many asian countries
and it has spread beyond our boundaries. Many countries have been seriously
hit by this unknown virus. Doctors all over the world have yet to find a
cure for it. This invisible killer is much more lethal than AIDS. The reason being that you could protect yourself and be almost 100%
sure that you will not contract AIDS if you do not engage in unprotected sex, but nobody can be 100% sure that you will not contract
SARS. It's basically everywhere. Protection may not even be enough. As long
as there are socially irresponsible people around, this virus will
multiply.
As a Singaporean, I can say that we are very fortunate to have a very
responsible government who are swift in making decisions and imposing
strict laws to contain the virus. But somehow there are irresponsible
people around that would only undo what the government has done. Since I'm
a school teacher, let me quote some real-life example that we encounter in
schools. For example, in schools, students are required to make
declarations about the countries and places they have visited over the
weekend or during the holidays. There are parents who have taught their own
kids to lie to the school by not declaring honestly.
There is one student in particular whose father works in a vegetable
wholesale center. Someone working in the wholesale center was confirmed to
have contracted SARS and everyone who works in the wholesale center were
given 10days Home Quarantine Order. Our school was notified that we
should keep a look out for this particular student. The standard procedure
for the school to follow is that we would quarantine this student for
10days and send him home immediately. When this student was questioned
about the matter, he refused to admit the fact that his father has
received the Quarantine Order. Imagine if anything bad were to happen to
his family(I hope not), he would have jeopardize his classmates and fellow
teachers' lives!
If you are reading this and your country is also fighting a battle against
SARS, I hope we could fight it together. Both our doctors and nurses in the
hospitals are in the front line. They have the highest risk of contracting
the disease. I really admire your courage and faithfulness in your work,
especially at this crucial and tough time. As civilians, we may not have
the medical knowledge to lighten the doctors' and nurses' job, but i'm sure
we could still do something else to improve the current situation. I urge
everyone to take up social responsibility and give our front line warriors
our full moral support.
My Salute to you, Doctors and Nurses from Tan Tock Seng Hospital,
Singapore.
© Lazeeladee 2003
