US embassy cable - 03ABUJA911

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Identifier:	03ABUJA911
Wikileaks:	View 03ABUJA911 at Wikileaks.org
Origin:	Embassy Abuja
Created:	2003-05-19 11:01:00
Classification:	UNCLASSIFIED
Tags:	AMED TBIO NI
Redacted:	This cable was not redacted by Wikileaks.

UNCLAS ABUJA 000911 
 
SIPDIS 
 
 
STATE FOR AF/W 
STATE PASS CDC 
 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: AMED, TBIO, NI 
SUBJECT: WGSARS01: NIGERIA REPORTS SARS FATALITY IN KANO 
 
 
1. A Ministry of Health official confirmed media reports that 
a Taiwanese businessman died of SARS May 9 in Kano. The 
official told Emboff May 15 that six workers at the hospital 
that treated the businessman subsequently had fallen ill, but 
all have since recovered. The Ministry has reported this case 
to the World Health Organization (WHO), the official noted. 
He said two alleged cases in Port Harcourt reported by the 
media have not been confirmed. The Ministry did not believe 
these were SARS cases. 
 
 
2. The Ministry of Health's Emergency Procedures and Response 
Division has established a SARS surveillance program in 
coordination with the WHO. The official noted that should 
SARS spread in the general population, it will be difficult 
to quarantine carriers of the virus from others suffering 
from diseases with similar symptoms, such as malaria. 
Comment: Most Nigerian medical facilities are unlikely to 
have sufficient technical capacity to definitively diagnose 
SARS. In fact, it is our understanding that the case reported 
to the WHO was based on a symptomatic rather than laboratory 
diagnosis. End Comment. 
JETER