Based on the information given, what do you anticipate the challenges will be for this outbreak? What plan of action would you take in order to address the outbreak from an Interprofessional standpoint? How does the issue of racism or racial targeting play into addressing the problem?
The following is from the case study referenced above:
Between February 18th and 21st, 2003, a 78-year old woman was on vacation in Hong Kong with her husband – they stayed at the Metropole Hotel.
Upon her return home to Toronto, Canada, on February 23rd she developed a fever, myalgia, sore throat and a cough. She was cared for by her family at her home. Over the next 10 days, her condition deteriorated and she died at home on March 5th.
On February 27th, this woman’s 41-year old son (Case A) became ill with fever and respiratory symptoms. On March 7th, 2003, he presented to the emergency room (ER) of Hospital A and was admitted to the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) where he died on March 13th.
Between March 3rd and 14th, four more family members developed similar symptoms. The doctor who provided care to this family on March 6th developed respiratory symptoms on March 10th.
By March 19th, several nurses who worked in the ER and ICU of Hospital A reported ill with fever and one or more of these symptoms: cough, malaise, myalgia, and headache. They were told to isolate themselves at home and to wear masks. The local public health department was notified of this hospital cluster.
Canadian media carried as many as 25 stories about the SARS outbreak every day. Much of the media coverage of the disease focused on the fact that it had originated in Asia, and had been brought to Canada by an Asian woman.
Many segments on the news showed people in Hong Kong and China wearing masks. Thus, Toronto’s Asian population was portrayed as being particularly susceptible to the disease, and people began to view them as being the primary vector for spreading the disease.
Asian businesses were avoided, and racist incidents against Asians began to rise. Both adults and schoolchildren reported being ostracized by their peers during this time.
During the outbreak, 44 Canadians died. Many thousands more were quarantined in an attempt to stop SARS from spreading further.
The economy of Toronto was impacted, and the effect on the Asian community was even more severe. Many businesses closed because people refused to do business for fear of contracting SARS.
