Immediate Steps
- Information sharing
Giving full, accurate and timely information is an essential part of building public awareness of the infectious disease and facilitating early detection and prevention of the spread of disease. We endorse the APEC Secretariat's webpage on "APEC Response to SARS" as a focal point for information sharing among APEC member economies. The webpage provides the following information:
- SARS situation in APEC economies A contact point on SARS in each economy is given to facilitate instant information exchange and cooperation. Each economy will be hyperlinked to its Ministry of Health or equivalent agency responsible for SARS. APEC member economies have undertaken to update the information on a regular basis. The webpage would also include hyperlinks to other relevant agencies, and also up-to-date information for travelers such as travel advisories and regulations for both incoming and outgoing travelers, including any relevant visa or entry restrictions and airport health screening procedures. This will facilitate the exchange of best practices and increase transparency.
- Hyperlink to the APEC Infectious Information Network (EiNet) This provides information for health officials and researchers on SARS and other emerging infectious diseases.
- Other useful information Links to other relevant international organizations such as the WHO and ASEAN SARS Containment Information Network.
In addition, member economies shall endeavor to inform the public and officials on the nature of SARS and its prevention to reduce unnecessary fear. The business community, through the APEC Business Advisory Council (ABAC), local Chambers of Commerce and Business Associations, should also be briefed regularly to assure uninterrupted business activity. The tourism and airline sectors should also be informed of the best practices, including good ethics, in dealing with clients suspected of SARS infection and/or other emerging diseases. As appropriate, the APEC Secretariat could work with APEC fora to develop communications products for an APEC-wide audience. This may be particularly useful in the case of the Tourism Working Group. The APEC Secretariat, the Committee on Trade and Investment (CTI) and ABAC could also cooperatively develop communications products aimed at the business community.
- Strengthening a credible Infectious Diseases Strategy for APEC
We ask the Industrial Science and Technology Working Group (ISTWG) to provide feedback to SOM as soon as possible on how the APEC Infectious Diseases Strategy and its associated network can add value to the work of other organizations fighting the SARS epidemic. In doing this, the ISTWG should seek input from the WHO on how the APEC Infectious Diseases Strategy can best be used to support international and national efforts to combat SARS. In addition, the ISTWG proposals on Pandemic Influenza Preparedness shall be given a fast-track approach to build capacity for response and information sharing for all infectious outbreaks, including SARS, to allow the project to begin in August or September 2003.
- Promoting Common Guiding Principles on Health Screening at Borders for Air travelers
The fear of SARS is more harmful than SARS itself. The unwarranted fear of SARS has deterred people from traveling, depressed the tourism and transport sectors, and eroded confidence in regional trade and investment. Rather than a blanket ban on travel, a measured approach that focuses on isolation and containment should be used for health screening at borders.
The coordinated measures on health screening at borders adopted by the Special Meeting of ASEAN + 3 Ministers of Health on SARS in Kuala Lumpur on 26 April 2003 could be endorsed by APEC economies as the starting point for developing a common and transparent set of guiding principles to assure the safety of all travelers. These measures include:
- Pre-departure screening of all passengers from SARS affected areas to prevent the spread of SARS to other economies and boost the confidence of the international community in the APEC region. ASEAN members have already adopted health screening for outbound flights from ASEAN airports. This has been applied by other APEC economies declared by the WHO as SARS affected areas. Pre-departure screening will be conducted in conformance with WHO guidelines and may involve the completion of a standardized health declaration card and a temperature check before boarding the vessel. APEC health and border control officials should expedite agreement on standard information that should be provided on health declaration cards.
- Screening of all arriving passengers from areas with recent transmission of SARS shall also be conducted to ensure effective control of SARS transmission. No passenger shall be refused entry due to suspected SARS infection. The host economy shall allow any individual suspected of having contracted SARS to seek medical treatment within the host economy. Health Ministers and all relevant Ministers in charge of border controls will be asked to work together to develop a common set of protocols for air travel.
- APEC member economies shall inform each other in a timely manner of SARS cases that have traveled between members. This will allow contact tracing to be carried out to identify persons with possible infections, thus arresting any potential spread of SARS. Economies should use existing communications channels, including the WHO, to share this information.
- APEC member economies shall promote best practices and good ethics among officials to enable others to learn and benefit from such practices. Medically advanced APEC members could also provide technical assistance and capacity building to other APEC members to facilitate prompt responses to the epidemic.
- Promoting Common Guiding Principles on Health Screening at Borders for Land and Sea Travelers
In the case of land and sea travel, economies which share common land borders and/or which have regular point-to-point sea-links may establish, as appropriate, a common set of protocols in order to contain and prevent the spread of SARS at land and sea checkpoints.
