Killer virus may hit Hong Kong again says doctor

By ANGELA GREGORY

A New Zealand doctor twice thrown into the thick of the Sars epidemic in Hong Kong is not convinced the virus has gone from the region.

Dr Tom Buckley told the Weekend Herald from Hong Kong that there was no room for complacency four months after the killer virus broke out.

"I still don't know that it has gone away ... We are slowly letting our guard down but the risks are still there."

The World Health Authority this week declared Hong Kong effectively Sars-free.

But Dr Buckley predicted another outbreak as winter arrives from about early November.

As the acting head of intensive care at the Prince of Wales Hospital, he was the linchpin in stemming the initial hospital outbreak of Sars in March.

As the virus spread among staff, Dr Buckley implemented radical infection control measures such as wrapping equipment, even computers, in cling-film and ordering spacesuits from America.

He sent dozens of emails warning colleagues worldwide to prepare for the worst.

His work finally brought the virus under control at the Prince of Wales. New cases were sent to Princess Margaret Hospital as the specialist unit for treating infectious diseases.

Dr Buckley had by then spent weeks sleeping in his office, working huge hours and avoiding his family.

His heart sank when he was soon called back to the frontline after healthcare workers started collapsing at Princess Margaret.

Dr Buckley said the request had filled him, his wife, Dr Rosemary Barnett, and their three young children with dread.

"It was the worst feeling possible. I didn't sleep that night."

But like nearly all the healthcare workers thrown into the crisis, Dr Buckley did what he was trained to do and again took up the challenge.

When he arrived at Princess Margaret four out of six specialists and 19 of 48 nurses had been hit with the flu-like illness.

Dr Buckley quickly brought in rigorous infection control measures. No more staff fell ill.

But even now he sees no place for partying.

"While it may have been contained, there could well be seasonal variations ... Hospital authorities are preparing for the next outbreak. We are all still looking over our shoulder."

Dr Buckley said that despite the initial slow response, Hong Kong health authorities had coped well overall given the dense population and busy borders.

"Thousands enter from mainland China every week. At the airport there are hundreds of flights every day."

The 48-year-old admitted fearing for his own health. Sars killed the elderly mainly, but he knew of otherwise healthy people younger than him who had died.

Dr Buckley said his family were rethinking whether they would stay in Hong Kong.

"We had the bird flu in 1997, now this. Maybe some other bug is just around the corner."