Health officials are organising a public forum to better inform members of the Bermuda public about the dangers and misconceptions of the deadly disease SARS.

Chief Medical Officer Dr. John Cann said yesterday that the Island was well prepared, should a case of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) be found here, but said public education was the key in combating its spread.

He said a committee at the King Edward VII Memorial Hospital was interested in trying to organise a forum where people could ask questions and become better acquainted with what SARS was all about.

However, he said the hospital had taken steps to ensure additional equipment, such as face masks and gowns, were on hand should an outbreak occur in Bermuda, and said its strategic plan, devised following September 11, was ready should it be needed. The last thing Bermuda needed, he said, was an outbreak of SARS, which could possibly severely damage the tourism trade and damage business.

Dr. Cann reminded residents that travel advisories had been given warning people not to visit the worst-hit areas, Toronto, Beijing and China's Shanxi province, unless absolutely necessary, but said he could not stop people from going.

And he said the Island had no problem allowing people in from those areas, provided checks and questionnaires were carried out.

He said: “I think we have to be realistic. Either we are shutting our doors completely, as Cuba did with HIV/AIDS, which proved not to work, or we take precautions and try to educate people.

“It really is a tightrope knowing what to do for the best. One of the real challenges for us is helping people to keep it in perspective, but to take it seriously, as well.”

He added: “If you put it in perspective to influenza, with the number of cases and deaths each year, this is nowhere in the same ball park. When you put the risk in perspective, that's when you start to make intelligent decisions.”

Dr. Cann said nursing staff were either on duty at Bermuda International Airport or on call, should a case be found among incoming airline passengers, but he said it was important for people not to blow the issue out of perspective. The hospital's nurse epidemiologist Lise Outerbridge said 11 million people lived in the province of Ontario in Canada, yet less than 150 people had contracted the flu-like illness in that area.

And she said those people who had been infected, were linked back to the disease's original source in the province.

And although about 4,300 people had been hit by SARS worldwide, only about 260 people had died and the majority were considered vulnerable, such as the elderly or people already suffering from a condition, for example, heart or renal problems.

Dr. Cann said as the disease was spread from person to person in tiny particles of mucus, it was paramount for people to ensure they kept their hands clean and that they covered their mouths and nose when they coughed.

But he said for most people, even if they did contract the illness, there would be little that could be done. Like the common cold and influenza, there was no known cure for SARS.

Unless a SARS victim had a serious existing condition, was either very old or very young, they would probably just be sent home and asked to rest, on the understanding that they would soon recover.

“The important thing is having people tell us if they are having problems,” added Dr. Cann.

“We want people (who do suspect they have symptoms) to go to their own GP (general practitioner or family doctor), rather than to the emergency room. But they have to call the GP first and tell them what the problem is, rather than turning up into a packed waiting room. We have spoken to GPs once, and we are going to follow up with some guidelines. Early intervention is critical.”

Dr. Cann said the most common age range of people catching SARS has been between 30 and 40, with few cases of children being reported.

But he said if symptoms were suspect, the disease could very quickly be ruled in or out.

Firstly, the history of the person should be taken, to see if they have been in contact with any SARS victim, but he said a chest X-Ray and test to check the level of oxygen circulating in the blood would also prove one way or another. People with SARS have less oxygen in their blood.