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Russia tries to stop SARS express
From Ralitsa Vassileva
MOSCOW, Russia -- It's no just friends and relatives waiting on the platform for the incoming train from Beijing. Nowadays a team of doctors and police are among the throng greeting passengers traveling from China to Russia. Russia's remote far east shares a 4 thousand kilometer porous border with China, presenting Russians with a major challenge in preventing the introduction of SARS. Authorities have already closed 31 of Russia's 51 border crossings with China and Mongolia, suspended most flights to and from China, Hong Kong and Taiwan. But the country's chief medical officer refuses to rule out the possibility there are Chinese workers with SARS in Russia that medical authorities do not know about. CNN was present when Russian medics were informed an ill passenger was arriving from Beijing. "There is one sick person onboard with an acute respiratory infection, but no fever, no symptoms of sars," a doctor on the platform informed CNN. The man was taken away in an ambulance and as a precaution those who shared a compartment with him for the week-long journey had their passport and accommodation details taken. If the man was later diagnosed with SARS, the passengers would be quarantined for 10 days. Medical officials now screen all people arriving from the worst-affected areas for signs of the disease. "They took our temperature at least twice a day," said a Swedish passenger arriving in Moscow from Beijing. Despite the stringent measures, SARS may have crept into the country already. Russia's chief medical officer now says he is sure a 26-year-old man fighting for his life in a hospital in the country's far east has SARS. It is believed the man may have contacted disease in a hotel he was staying, frequented by Chinese traders. Doctors are also keeping isolated other patients who have SARS-like symptoms. There are major concerns Russia is not ready to cope with a SARS epidemic. "The urgent task is to stock up on medicine needed for this illness at places in Russia where it is most likely to break out," said Dr.Sergei Kolesnikov of the Russian Academy of Sciences. Russian authorities have earmarked 44 million roubles (US$1.43 million) for test labs in all of Russia's regions and opened quarantine centers at airports and train stations. An additional US$6.5 million is being sought for research into a SARS vaccine and safeguards to prevent it from spreading.
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