M A I N   N E W S

7 SARS cases confirmed
Results of 13 awaited

New Delhi, April 27
A 42-year-old man in Kolkata today tested positive for the dreaded SARS, taking the number of infected persons in the country to seven even as the pathological results of 13 more suspected cases in six states were awaited.

The man, who was under treatment at AMRI Apollo Hospital in Kolkata, developed fever and symptoms of pneumonia after coming from China on April 24, Health Ministry officials said here today. His condition was stable.

Reports of another 25-year-old male from Kolkata, who was being treated at ID hospital were awaited, they said.

Blood samples of the Capital’s first confirmed case, who was shifted to Infectious Diseases Hospital, here, from Mumbai, have been sent for a test to the National Institute of Communicable Diseases (NICD) and the results are awaited, an official press note here said. The first test done at the National Institute of Virology had confirmed the disease.

Four confirmed SARS cases were reported from Pune, while Goa, Kolkata and Mumbai reported one case each, it said.

The patient from Mumbai, who was shifted to IDH in Delhi from Mumbai yesterday does not have fever, though the results of his samples tested at NIV indicate that he is infected with SARS virus.

As of now, there are 20 suspected cases under treatment at various hospitals in the country with seven confirmed of having the SARS virus. Reports in 13 such cases were awaited.

The West Bengal Health Department has directed all government hospitals in Kolkata to set up isolated wards with 10 beds each for suspected SARS patients, Director of Health Services Prabhakar Chatterjee told newsmen here.

Dr Chatterjee said the Union Health Ministry had been requested to provide kits for testing blood samples of suspected SARS patients and the kits were expected to arrive soon.

In Pune, gripped by the fear of (SARS), members of the Kumar Park Society in the city, where 10 members of the Simon Alhat household have been quarantined, threatened to launch an agitation demanding that quarantined persons be immediately shifted and the whole society be sterilised.

A total of 46 cases have been received in the laboratories of NICD and NIV. At NICD, biological samples of 25 patients have been tested and 26 samples for suspected SARS virus were tested at NIV. Five samples were tested at both the labs, the release said. As many as 4,836 suspected SARS cases have been reported from 26 countries with 293 deaths due to the virus. Yesterday, there were reports of 19 deaths from countries such as Canada (3), China (7), Hongkong (6), Philippines (1) and Singapore (2), it said. PTI

Tulsi antidote to SARS

Mumbai, April 27
The sacred ‘tulsi’ plant, especially ‘ram tulsi’, could be a possible effective remedy for Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS), according to Dr Mirza Anwar Baig, Director, Aarish Academy and Alternative Research Centre here.

In homoeopathy, a Brazilian tulsi is being used, which is similar to Ram tulsi in efficacy in the correction of symptoms close to SARS, Mr Baig said here today.

The Brazilian tulsi ‘Viola Odorata’, a specific homeoepathic remedy has been used in a typical case where symptoms are like SARS on the respiratory system (both upper and lower) and distress and oppression of chest, Mr Baig, a practising naturopath, said.

Another Brazilian tulsi —Ipecacuanha — which is similar to the wild Indian Krishna tulsi also has wide range therapeutic use but Ram tulsi, according to him, would be more effective in SARS like symptoms. PTI