Experts examine Sars lessons

Thousands of people have been infected by Sars

The lessons which can be learned from the spread of the Sars virus have been discussed by health experts at a major conference in Glasgow.

Doctors with first-hand experience of dealing with Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome were among those taking part in the four-day event.

Sars has not reached Scotland, although planning is already under way to deal with potential cases.

The virus was one of a number of subjects being discussed at the European Congress of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases (ECCMID), which began on Saturday at the Scottish Exhibition and Conference Centre (SECC).

Speakers included Dr Donald Low, who tackled the infection at one of the main hospitals in Toronto.

Death toll

Sars claimed more than 20 lives in the area and led the World Health Organization (WHO) to advise people against travelling to the Canadian city last month.

That warning was lifted a week later when the organisation agreed that the outbreak had peaked in the area.

Sars has so far killed more than 500 people worldwide, mainly in China and Hong Kong, and infected at least 7,000.

Dr Low, the senior microbiologist at Mount Sinai Hospital, addressed the conference on Sunday on the lessons learned from the Toronto experience.

If this problem had been addressed in December or January we would not have the problem we have today

Dr Donald Low

He told BBC Scotland that China had to do more to combat Sars - although he thought western governments had coped well.

"It is quite remarkable how much we have learned in the past two months about Sars and how to control it," he said.

"The next step is that we have got to have more openness in countries worldwide.

"China cannot use the attitude about trying to wish a problem away. If this problem had been addressed in December or January we would not have the problem we have today."

'Adapt ourselves'

He believed the outbreak was over in Toronto, saying: "The problem is behind us."

However, he warned that the emergence of new viruses like Sars was a consequence of the changing world and increasing globalisation.

"We have to be able to adapt ourselves like viruses do to be able to deal with it," he said.

"If we are going to be doing this... then we have to be prepared for outbreaks like this.

Latest advances

"The next big one is going to be the pandemic influenza. We have got to be better prepared."

The Glasgow conference is sponsored by the European Society of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases (ESCMID), one of the world's leading scientific organisations, along with the Scottish Microbiology Association and the British Infection Society.

Experts discussing the latest advances in the areas of clinical microbiology and infectious diseases.

There will also be a debate on the need for a European Centre for Infectious Disease.