No medical personnel at information desks

Passengers attending the new SARS information desks at Dublin Airport yesterday were told to go ask their GPs if they had any medical queries about the virus.

Public information desks were established in Dublin, Cork and Shannon airports yesterday afternoon to offers SARS advice to incoming passengers.

A spokeswoman for the Department of Health told The Irish Times on Sunday that the desks would be staffed by environmental health officers, and public health nurses.

However, no medical personnel attended the desk in Dublin Airport yesterday. They were staffed by environmental health officers only.

"The environmental health officers' presence is to allay the concern and fears of the public," acting principal environmental health officer for the Northern Area Health Board Mr Gavin McDonnell said.

"If passengers have any medical queries they will be asked to refer to their GPs.

"The environmental health officers can answer any general questions."

The officers are equipped with SARS leaflets for the public and have a list of frequently asked questions, supplied by the Department of Health, to consult for their own information.

"They would be present at the airport at all times that there were incoming flights, Mr McDonnell said. "There is a doctor on call in the medical centre of the airport to clinically assess any suspect cases.

"Anybody requiring hospitalisation will be taken to the appropriate hospital."

A spokesman for the Department of Health said it was never stipulated that the public health officers and environmental health officers would man the desks together.

"We never said they would be there simultaneously. The public health officers might be tomorrow or later in the week."

Meanwhile, passengers travelling to Dublin Airport on Ryanair and Aer Lingus flights said they were given no on-board information on SARS yesterday, contrary to guidelines issued by the Department of Health.

Airlines using Dublin Airport were issued with Department of Health SARS information leaflets from 9 a.m. yesterday morning, according to the Northern Area Health Board. They were also asked to inform passengers that a SARS information desk was situated in the arrivals hall.

However, passengers landing at the airport on some flights yesterday afternoon, said there were no leaflets and no mention of SARS on board their flights.

"Guidelines from the Department of Health were given to the airlines as and from this morning and will be followed up by announcements in-flight," Mr McDonnell said. Aer Rianta had been asked to distribute the leaflets, he added.

Ryanair did not receive the leaflets until late afternoon yesterday a spokesman said. "The leaflets arrived late. Ryanair is in the process of briefing the flight crews.

"Once they are briefed they will be following the guidelines of the Department of Health."

A spokeswoman for Aer Lingus confirmed that they received the leaflets yesterday morning.

The leaflets along with the announcement relating to the information desk in the arrivals hall would be given out to all passengers tomorrow morning. Passengers arriving on British Midlands flights said they had received leaflets about SARS on board.