Relief that the suspected SARS case in Dublin turned out to be a false alarm yesterday must be tempered by the realisation of how ill-prepared the health system has proved to be should there indeed be an outbreak of the disease in this State.
The Minister for Health, Mr Martin, in a flurry of media interviews, has certainly raised his profile on the issue. But there is too little evidence as yet that he has a coherent plan to tackle it, and justifiable disquiet over how this particular case was handled over the weekend.
There is now an opportunity to put this right without further delay - or without the huge additional pressure and public alarm such a confirmed instance of the disease would have created. The confusion and lack of communication revealed by the decision to release the suspected patient back into the community while tests were being conducted is a sharp wake-up call about the need for guidelines, responsibilities and procedures to be clear and well-defined. Previous experience with public and animal health emergencies shows this can be done efficiently. It requires high profile communication within the health service and with the general public on how to tackle the problem. Unfavourable comparisons with the handling of the foot-and-mouth disease underline the need for high profile political leadership, a sense of urgency and yet the calming professional messages needed to allay unnecessary public alarm.
The coincidence of a strike by public medical doctors and the SARS alert has made these tasks far more difficult to achieve. The very professionals responsible for dealing with medical and public communication are unavailable except in emergencies. If ever there was a case for dealing urgently with such a long-standing dispute this is it. Mr Martin bears the primary political responsibility for tackling it; but he deserves support from his ministerial colleagues - and is entitled to expect reciprocity from the striking doctors so as to ensure public health in such a vital matter does not become a victim of their dispute.
Worldwide concern about the development of SARS is focusing increasingly on its economic effects. Tourism and travel to the countries and regions most affected have fallen precipitously and there are fears for trade and investment. That is an ample additional reason why all the necessary precautions should be taken here. The forthcoming Special Olympics have alerted the Irish public to these realities. It is essential that public health arrangements here are fully in line with best international practice if they are to be hosted successfully despite growing fears about SARS. ...