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| Office of Communicable Diseases |
Room 106
Phone: (401) 222-2577
Fax: (401) 222-2488
711 (RI Relay)
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Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) Rhode island Department of Health (HEALTH) Response to SARS
HEALTH response to SARS during the 2003 outbreak HEALTH worked closely with CDC and other partners in an effort to address the SARS outbreak of 2003. HEALTH took the following actions:
- Established a surveillance system for the reporting and public health management of suspected cases of SARS on a 24/7 basis from health care providers and laboratories.
- Consulted with experts at the Centers for Disease Prevention and Control (CDC) on cases that were suspected to have SARS.
- Followed up on all suspect cases of SARS and their close contacts, instituting control measures such as fever watches for exposed contacts and home quarantine for suspect cases.
- Developed laboratory capacity at the State HEALTH Laboratory to conduct preliminary laboratory testing for SARS with the guidance of CDC laboratory experts.
- Educated and provided information to doctors, nurses, and other health care providers in hospitals and other health care settings about this disease and the prevention measures and equipment that they would need to implement in order to control transmission.
- Set up a web page for both public and provider information related to this disease
- Sent advisories to a wide range of institutions including businesses, worksites, and educational institutions so authorities knew to exclude from the workplace travelers returning from SARS affected countries who developed fever and cough, and to notify HEALTH.
- Informed and dialogued with many community organizations and state agencies involved with responding to emergencies, for example; Emergency Management Agency (RIEMA), airport safety authorities, unions, travel agents, adoption agencies, municipal governments etc.
- Monitored the progress of the international situation closely and kept the public informed on a continual basis, through media releases and web postings, and through a live information hotline.
What HEALTH is doing now (2004)
- HEALTH continues to work with CDC and healthcare organizations to plan for rapid recognition and response if person-to-person transmission of SARS recurs.
- HEALTH has developed recommendations and guidelines to help healthcare providers identify and respond quickly to the reappearance of SARS in a healthcare facility or community. These are available on the HEALTH SARS web site.
- HEALTH has written a plan for dealing with SARS if it appears in Rhode Island. This plan outlines incremental responses that vary depending on the severity of the problem.
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