Julia Chan
Medical Librarian
Yu Chun Keung Medical Library, University of Hong Kong

The recent outbreak of SARS (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome) has caused much alarm.  The Yu Chun Keung Medical Library is involved in searching for update information on SARS for Medical staff and students.  Library staff are therefore particularly apprehensive to the highly contagious and life-threatening unknown virus while keeping track of literature/news on its development and progress.  The proximity to Queen Mary Hospital and the possibility of infection by users who are health care workers are naturally of great concern.  This was especially so when a staff at the Genome Research Centre in the adjacent Laboratory Block was diagnosed as a confirmed case on 2 April 2003.  This staff lived in Amoy Gardens where about 300 people were infected during the outbreak in March.  Extensive disinfection of the affected workplaces in the Laboratory Block where the patient had visited was carried out.  The Medical Library was also being disinfected as a safety measure.

Another alarming phone call came on 24 April when a part-time postgraduate student in the Department of Community Medicine, on the upper floor of the Medical Library, was admitted into hospital with confirmed CVP (Coronavirus Pnemonia) on 19 April.  We were informed that the student had come to the Library to return books.  But since the last appearance of the student in the University was on 10 April and the 10 days incubation period was well past, University members were not at risk even if they had been in close contact with the student.  While this was good news, the late reporting of the case had caused much anxiety among library staff concerning possible infection or cross infection with similar future cases.

Another confirmed case came from Department of Nursing Studies where a full time nursing student was infected on 25 April. Fortunately this student did not visit the Library during the infected period.  There were also reports of suspected cases of a part-time staff in the Department of Community Medicine and an undergraduate student in nearby Wei Lun Hall.  What a relief when we learnt that the latter two were only suspected cases.

Of the 10 incidences reported in the University, about half were from the medical campus.  It was no wonder that even users were anxious of the possibility of being infected during the outbreak.  A postgraduate student called in three times to ask whether it was safe to come to the Library.  Although we could not guarantee his safety, he was still a frequent user.

High state of precautions against CVP is undertaken at all times in the Medical Library.  Enhanced cleaning services are provided to our public facilities including computer equipment, photocopiers, book return, tables and chairs with recommended solution. Special effort is made to clean doors, turnstiles and staircases.  All staff wear face masks when working at public areas or counters. Users are also advised to take off their white medical gowns and wear face masks when coming into the Library.  Masks are sold to those who do not have one.  All staff try to stay healthy and strong.  Some take Chinese medicine prescriptions recommended by the School of Chinese Medicine to build up their resistance.

Formal classes were suspended from March 29 – April 14, 2003 at the University.  Since quite a lot of students stayed home to study, users in the Library were greatly reduced during that period.  It was a relief in a way since less users might mean less chance of possible transmission or infection.

The latest report in Hong Kong seems to indicate that SARS outbreak is contained.  But in the Medical Library, everyone is still vigilant, wearing face masks at public areas, and public facilities are cleaned regularly.  It is hoped that the disease will be under control and a new vaccine will be developed soon.

SARS E-Resources

To facilitate research, the Medical Librarian has devoted much time to locate and provide access to information/ literature on progress of the disease.  The Internet and electronic communication are used to gather and disseminate information with high efficiency.  Great effort is made to constantly search bibliographic databases such as Medline and online biomedical journals for relevant publications, as well as to identify and organize useful sites on the Internet.  A special Website was created and all relevant materials are linked to the new Website so that users could have speedy and convenient access to resources on SARS from One Single Site.

Since information is free on the Internet and most publishers are providing free access to current articles on SARS, all users, including the scientific community and general public worldwide, will be able to review the materials on this Website.  Immediate usage was recorded and reached 2,700 visits for the month of May 2003.  It is hoped that this effort to provide one convenient platform for pertinent scientific information and publications will help to contribute to the global research on SARS.

Users could simply visit the Yu Chun Keung Medical Library webpage at http://www.lib.hku.hk/medlib/ then click at SARS Information (http://www.lib.hku.hk/medlib/sars/ ) to access the wealth of information on SARS.
 

Medical Library staff all braced up against SARS