Newsletter No. 225

Anti-SARS Activities During Summer A Quick Run-thorugh Clinical and Scientific Work • Development by the Faculty of Medicine of an effective blood test for SARS, accurate from day one of the disease. The breakthrough was announced on 23rd June. • Refinement by the Faculty of Medicine of WHO guidelines for identifying SARS cases. The recommendations were published in the British Medical Journal on 21st June. Community Care and Service • Seminars on class resumption in schools by the Centre for Health Education and Health Promotion in March and April. • Launch of a three-month campaign by the CUHK Hong Kong Mood Disorders Centre, in collaboration with the Hong Kong Medical Association and Commercial Radio to heighten public awareness of mood disorders in the wake of SARS on 10th June. • Assistance by CUHK and the Prince of Wales Hospital in June to the '1:99 Film Project' which pays tribute to paramedics involved in the fight against SARS. • Composition of Passions Within Prof. Victor Chan of the Department of Music for RTHK- 4's Anti-SARS project 'Ode to Life'. • Launch of the School Health Promotion Project by the Nethersole School of Nursing in May for school teachers and parents. • SARS-related health promotion talks by the Nethersole School of Nursing from 29th May to 20th June for 10 elderly centres in Sha Tin. • Presentation on 24th June of video lecture 'Crisis Intervention: A SARS Experience' produced in VCD format by the School of Continuing Studies and the Department of Psychology for free distribution to medical, health, and social service organizations. Education • A territory-wide survey on secondary and primary schools by the Centre for University and School Partnership in May and June 2003 on SARS-related crisis management. • Educational video Healthy School Life II: Learning Togetherwith YourDoctors by the Centre for Health Education and Health Promotion with the Hong Kong Medical Association. The video was first publicly presented on 19th June. Expert Opinion • Talks by the Faculty of Medicine and the Faculty of Science for secondary school science teachers and students on different scientific aspects of SARS on 19th July. • Organization of 'From Risk to Crisis Managemen t: A Post-SARS Revival Workshop' by the MBA Programmes and the Risk Management Science Programme on 18th July. Sponsorship • Donation of HK$500,000 to the CUHK-WHO Collaborating Centre for Sports Medicine and Health Promotion from the Bank of East Asia on 11th July to set up a rehabilitation programme for SARS patients. Publications and Research Studies Accident and emergency medicine • Cameron P.A., T h e Plague Within: An Australian Doctor's Experience of SARS in Hong Kong', Medical JournalofAustralia, 2003 May 19;178(10):512-3. • Cameron P.A., Rainer T.H., Villiers Smit de P., ' T h e SARS Epidemic: Lessons for Australia', Medical Journal ofAustralia, 2003 May; 178(10):478-479. • Cameron P.A., Rainer T.H., 'Lessons from an Outbreak of SARS in Hong Kong', Annals of Emergency Medicine, 2003. (in press) • Rainer T.H., Ong K.L ., Cameron P.A., 'Conclusions from the Experience of Managing a Hong Kong Fever Ward', Chinese Emergency MedicineJournal, 2003. (Chinese, in press) • Rainer T.H., Cameron P.A., Smit deV, Ong K. L., Ng A.W.H., Chan D.P.N., et al., 'Evaluation of the WHO Criteria for Identifying Patients with Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome out of Hospital: Prospective Observational Study', British Medical Journal, 2003 June 21;326 (7403):1354-58. Chemical pathology • Wong R.S.M., Wu A., To K.F., LeeN ., Lam C. W.K., Wong C.K., et al., 'Haematoiogical Manifestations in Patients with Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome: Retrospective Analysis', British Medical Journal, 2003 June 21 ;326(7403):1358-62. • Tsui S.K.W., Chim S.S.C., Lo Y.M.D., CUHK Molecular SARS Research Group, 'Genomic Sequence Variations and Epidemiological Correlation of the Coronavirus Associated with Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome', New England Journal ofMedicine, 2003. (in press) Obstetrics and gynaecology • Haines C.J., Chu Y.W., Chung T.K.H., 'The Effect of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) on a Hospital Obstetrics and Gynaecology Service', British Journal of Obstetrics & Gynecology, 2003 July; 110(7): 643-5. Laboratory diagnosis • Chan P.K.S., Tam J.S., Lam C.W., Chan E ., Wu A., Li C.K., et al., 'Detection of Human Metapneumovirus from Patients with Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome', Emerging Infectious Diseases, 2003. (in press) SARS in elderly people • Wong K.C ., Leung K.S., Hui M., 'Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome in a Geriatric Patient with Hip Fracture — A Case Report', Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery (American), published online on 9 May 2003. (in press) SARS coronavirus • Chan H.L.Y ., TsuiS ., Sung J.J.Y., 'Coronavirus in Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS)', Trendsin Molecular Medicine, 2003. (review, in press). Epidemiology • Lee A., 'Will the SARS Epidemic Recur?' (accepted for publication by the Journal of EpidemiologyandCommunity Health) • Lee A., and Abdullah A.S.M., 'Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome: Challenge for Public Health Practice in Hong Kong' (accepted for publication by the Journal ofEpidemiology and Community Health) • Wong G.W., Hui D.S.C., 'Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS): Epidemiology, Diagnosis and Management', [editorial] Thorax, 2003 July; 58(7):558-60. • Chan P.K.S., Ip M ., Ng K.C., Chan R.C.W., Wu A., Lee N., et al., 'Seroprevalence of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) Associated Coronavirus Infection among Health Care Workers after a Major Outbreak of SARS in a Regional Hospital', Emerging Infectious Diseases, 2003. (in press) Diagnostic radiology • Antonio G.E., Wong K.T., Hui D.S.C., Wu A ., Lee N ., Yuen E.H.Y., et al., Thin Section CT in Patients with Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Following Hospital Discharge: Preliminary Experience', Radiology, 2003 June 12. SARS in children • Wong G.W., Li A.M., Ng P.C., Fok T.F ., 'Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome in Children', Pediatric Pulmonology, 2003. (in press) • Hon K.L.E., Li A.M., Cheng F.W.T., et al., 'Personal View of SARS: Confusing Definition, Confusing Diagnoses', Lancet, 2003 June 7; 361 (9373):1984-5. • Cheng F.W.T ., Hui D.S.C., Wang H.Y., Zhong N.S., Fok T.F., Wong G.W.K., 'Current Understanding of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome — The Hong Kong and China Experience', Medical Progress, 2003;30(6):5- 10. (co-published in HKMA CMEBulletin 2003 May issue) • Ng P.C., So K.W., Leung T.F., Cheng F.W.T., Lyon D.J., Wong W., et al., 'Infection Control for SARS in a Tertiary Neonatal Center', Archives of Diseases in Children, 2003. (in press) • Shek C.C., Ng P.C., Fung G.P.G., Cheng F. W.T., Chan P.K.S., Peiris J.S.M., et al., 'Infants Born to Mothers with Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS)', Pediatrics, 2003. (in press) Insight from the Top: Sharing by CEOs from PCCW and Champion Technology M r. Linus Cheung, deputy chairman of PCCW Ltd., and Mr. Paul Kan, cha i rman and executive d i r ec t or o f Champion Technology Holdings Ltd. spoke to students and a l umni o f the U n i v e r s i t y ' s E M B A a nd M B A Programmes in the CUHK - RTHK radio programme Talking to CEOs on 22nd May and 2nd June respectively. Mr. Cheung believes that Hong Kong needs more leaders who care about her well-being and that a performance culture should be introduced. And lie practises what he preaches. He held meetings with Hong Kong Telecom's staff at four-month intervals and when forced to cut costs a f ew yea rs ago, he s u c c eeded i n nego t i a t i ng a c ompan y - w i de salary reduction. Though lie attributes his career success to luck, Mr. Cheung believes that one always has to be well prepared to take advantage of opportunities when they arise. A CEO, in his view, must have vision, and good communication and interpersonal v i ews as his j ob is to analyse, decide and implement. It is also a CEO's job to identify and nurture talent. M r . K a n is c o n v i n c e d t h a t entrepreneurship is one of the best ways to create jobs in Hong Kong. However he is also o f the v i ew that once the entrepreneur path is taken, there is no turning back. I t w a s G o r d o n B a t y ' s Entrepreneurship: Playing to Win that inspired him to start his own business. The book, introduced to him while attending the Un i v e r s i t y 's M B A P r og r amme, proved to be a turning point in his life. Champion Technology Holdings Ltd. was born seven years later. Leadership, by Mr. Kan's definition, means innovativeness and commitment, and a true leader should not be afraid to commit. He cautions all entrepreneur- hopefuls to bear in mind that all worthy things in life are riddled with difficulties, hence careful planning is crucial. His own approach is to be aggressive in marketing but conservative in financial matters. (From left) Prof. Andrew Chan of the Faculty of Business Administration, host of the programme, Mr. Paul Kan, and Prof. Leo Sin Yat-ming of the Department of Marketing Heal thier Schools of a Heal thier Hong Kong T he University's Centre for Health Education and Health Promotion announced in June that 12 schools had been selected for the Hong Kong Healthy Sc h o o ls A w a r d . A f o r m a l awa r d presentation ceremony w i ll be held later this year. The Hong Kong Healthy Schools Award Scheme is the first territory-wide 'Healthy Schools' movement with the full support o f the WHO Western Pacific Region. The scheme's aim is to give recognition to schools that have fulfilled the health standards endorsed by WHO and a panel o f local and international experts. It embodies a holistic approach to promoting development in six areas: school health policies, health services, personal health skills, school social environment, community relationship, and school physical environment. It also provides a structured framework and a system for mo n i t o r i ng progress and g i v i ng r e c o g n i t i on to the s choo l s' achievements. First launched in 2001, the scheme has attracted the pa r t i c i pa t i on o f 25 schools. The schools are assessed on their school health profiles and a survey is conducted on the health risk behaviours and emo t i onal hea l th status o f the students. The winning schools this year have shown a lower proportion of students h a v i ng emo t i o n al and b e h a v i o u r al problems, compared with the findings of the 2001 survey. 3 No. 225 4th September 2003