[ OUR OPINION ]

Stopping the spread
of SARS worth the cost

THE ISSUE New cases are declining worldwide, but little is known about the disease and the virus that causes it.

AGGRESSIVE public health measures and a good amount of luck spared Hawaii and the rest of the nation the brunt of the SARS epidemic, but as long as questions remain about the virus, residents and officials here must be on guard. Although economic repercussions are a matter of grave concern, the damage to isle businesses and the tourism industry will be far worse if complacency leads to an outbreak here.

SARS fears continue to hurt Chinatown's shops and restaurants despite Governor Lingle's recent public relations effort and quashing of rumors about the disease. Tour companies, airlines and hotels also have been affected. The business slowdown may be due in part to the effects of the war with Iraq, but merchants attribute much of the problem to SARS.

Although the World Health Organization last week said SARS appeared to be on the decline everywhere but in China -- where the outbreak apparently originated -- it is risky to expect that the virus that has experts still guessing will somehow stop its spread and disappear. Few such diseases have been eradicated worldwide and as long as people move freely across the globe, the chances for infections linger.

In addition, much more research is necessary before SARS is fully understood. No reliable diagnostic tests, vaccines or specific treatment programs have yet been established although most patients have responded to standard care for viral infections. Almost daily, a new element about the virus is discovered, some of them quite disturbing. For example, lab findings show that the virus can survive as long as four days on contaminated surfaces and is not destroyed even at temperatures below freezing.

Some have been critical of the response to SARS because of the economic impact. When WHO put Toronto on its watch list, Canadian officials and businesses raised a protest, saying the organization was overreacting. However harsh the economic effects may be now, the price in the long term may be much higher if SARS isn't contained.

Even educational institutions aren't immune. The University of California at Berkeley announced that despite the cost it will reject new students from SARS hot spots China, Taiwan, Singapore and Hong Kong this summer. Also, students from those counties who go home will be monitored by health officials when they return. Hawaii colleges have not taken similar action, but student travel in various programs has been canceled or postponed.

America's public health system probably nipped the spread of SARS, but in many cities, resources were stretched thin by homeland security demands. If SARS had been accompanied by another crisis, public services would be severely challenged.