Fed: Patterson says Aust can't be guaranteed SARS free
CANBERRA, April 10 AAP - Health Minister Kay Patterson today credited Australia's publichealth procedures for keeping Australia as free as possible from the killer pneumoniaSARS.
"I don't think luck's the case. I think we've got a very good public health system;we've got very good procedures in place," Senator Patterson told reporters.
"What we've done is put very prudent steps in place to ensure that we remain as freeas possible."
Federal authorities said yesterday that Australia's only likely case of SARS had turnedout to be a false alarm.
Tests showed the man, a British citizen who has since returned home, had been sufferingfrom influenza.
But five people remain under investigation for SARS.
Senator Patterson said it was not possible to ensure that Australia remained free ofSevere Acute Respiratory Syndrome.
Australia's chief medical officer Richard Smallwood said SARS cases had been predictedto become as frequent as one every three days.
"There've been some back-of-the-envelope calculations about when we might expect caseshere," Professor Smallwood said.
"The range of possibilities is from one every three days to one every 300 days.
"Now what that tells you is uncertainty is what we're dealing with and that's why wehave to be very prudent and vigilant at the border.
"People have been very responsible and sensible in conforming to what's been askedof them and I think that's a big plus for us."
Recent figures from the World Health Organisation put the number of deaths from thekiller pneumonia at 103 from 2,671 cases in 19 countries.
AAP rmg/sb/rcg/bwl
KEYWORD: SARS AUST DAYLEAD
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