The suspected cases of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) in India needs not just medical treatment but also social care and psychotherapies to overcome the panic reactions from the public towards such patients, feels Dr K N Tiwari, Medical Health Officer, New Delhi.

Though there have been no confirmed cases of SARS in the capital city, the number of persons who should have given psychological support/treatment was many. The reason for this being the over reaction to the SARS epidemic on the part of media thereby generating a fear psychosis even among the medical community, he said.

Delivering the key note address at a panel discussion on “Impact of SARS – How to meet the challenges of medical hazards” organized by FICCI Ladies Organisation here on Thursday, Dr Tiwari, suggested that the medical community should develop a system of early identification of the outbreak of any epidemic. “SARS is on the decline now. Instead of attempting to control the disease at this stage, we should plan how to prevent it from turning into an epidemic at the very first stage”, he said.

He informed that the National Capital Territory of Delhi has included SARS in the list of notified diseases and made it mandatory to inform the occurrence of the disease.

Among the panelists were Dr S Chugh, Head of Department, Medicine, Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital, Dr S K Jain, consultant in respiratory medicine, Moolchand Hospital and Dr Shashi Khare, consultant & Head of Micro Biology, National Institute of Communicable Diseases (NICD). Dr N Kumara Ray, Director-Communicable Diseases, World Health Organisation (WHO) delivered the valedictory address.

Chandra Garodia, president FLO welcomed the gathering. Namita Gautam, vice-president, FLO proposed a vote of thanks.