Enlarge imageSINGAPORE (Reuters) - Singapore, facing the world’s fourth-highest number SARS fatalities, will launch a state-run television channel today dedicated entirely to news and information about the virus.
The stream of programmes piped into more than 95 percent of homes reflects an aggressive campaign to raise hygiene standards and public health awareness in Singapore, whose squeaky clean image has taken a hit from Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome.
As part of the public health crackdown, a court fined 11 Singapore men on Tuesday for spitting in public, a traditional practice which doctors say spreads diseases such as the flu-like SARS virus and highly contagious tuberculosis.
They were each fined S$300 and a warrant was issued for the arrest of a 12th man, the Straits Times newspaper reported.
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Spitting, which can propel infectious respiratory droplets to other people, is a major way of spreading respiratory diseases such as SARS, which has killed 28 people out of 206 reported cases in the island republic of four million people.
Worldwide, SARS has infected nearly 8,000 people and killed about 660.
Singapore’s latest case on Sunday -- the first in three weeks -- kept the nation on the World Health Organisation’s list of SARS hot spots and added to pressure to enforce a state-wide cleanup and boost public awareness of the disease.
Singapore needs to reach May 31 without a new SARS case to be taken off the WHO list of SARS-affected regions, which includes China, Taiwan and Hong Kong.
Singapore’s multilingual SARS channel, due to air from the evening, is jointly run by Singapore Press Holdings, Media Corp of Singapore and telecoms provider StarHub and will reach homes with at least one cable TV point.
Residents seem to support the idea.
"Because everybody is concerned about SARS, I think it is very important because when you know about it, you know how to take precautions better," said 42-year-old Lily Oei.
