Four times as many Ontarians will die from lack of medical attention caused by the SARS outbreak as will die from the disease itself, a University of Toronto infectious disease expert says.
“We estimate now that there have been many other serious health care consequences for people who have not been able to get into hospital [or] get appointments due to [the SARS outbreak],” microbiologist Kelly MacDonald told the 9th International Economic Forum of the Americas in Montreal in May.
“In Ontario, we estimate that the number of deaths [caused because health resources were diverted to fight SARS] will exceed the death rate from SARS fourfold,” MacDonald said. As of May 27, 27 SARS-related deaths had been reported in Canada, all in the Toronto area.
MacDonald said the outbreak pointed to “our lack of preparedness and our lack of capacity to deal with a major public health threat, something developing countries face every day.
“Our system doesn't have the ability to expand to meet demands in Canada. We have a responsibility … to say this is not good enough.”
The cofounder of Doctors Without Border/Médecins Sans Frontières emphasized the global context of public health preparedness. Dr. Bernard Kouchner said the response to SARS was rapid and overwhelming when compared with responses to other diseases. “Four hundred people died and it mobilized the whole Northern hemisphere,” said Kouchner, France's former minister of health. “Thousands of kids die of meningitis every year. We know how to diagnose and treat them. I wish we could have done as much for these children as we are doing for people dying of SARS.
“Let's transform this into something positive. It's not enough to say we've done our best in our own country — the reaction has to be worldwide.”
As far as industrialized nations are concerned, he added, it is in their best interest to act. “We have SARS today. Tomorrow will bring another disease.” — Barbara Sibbald, CMAJ