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Posted on 04/26/2003 6:39:23 PM PDT by Lessismore

A man killed himself and an elderly man passed away from lung failure yesterday at a stringently isolated Taipei hospital that is home to over 1,000 quarantined due to a SARS outbreak.

Disease control experts worried that Taipei Municipal Ho Ping Hospital, which was sealed off Thursday, could become a hotbed of the deadly severe acute respiratory syndrome virus as movement restrictions have been imposed on the quarantined so far.

The man, 48, committed suicide yesterday afternoon as he thought his wife had been infected by SARS, officials said.

The man and his wife were inside the hospital taking care of his father. But yesterday his wife went downstairs for an examination as she was feeling unwell, and rumors that she might have the disease spread. The man then hanged himself to death before a nurse came back to tell him his wife was alright, said Lee.

Meanwhile, a 78-year-old man died while under SARS quarantine, but health officials said his death wasn't SARS-related. The patient suffered from heart problems as a result of deteriorating lungs, officials said.

Lee called on the media and the public to stop mongering rumors about SARS, which has killed more than 290 people worldwide and infected more than 4,600.

The island had 50 probable SARS cases as of yesterday¡Xrising six from Thursday¡Xand 19 of which are in the hospital, said Lee. Suspected cases rose by seven to 72.

Reported cases totaled 286, including 68 that have yet to be determined, and 91 that have been ruled out as unrelated to SARS.

Taiwan has reported no deaths from the disease.

Yesterday was the third day of the quarantine at Ho Ping Hospital. More than 900 nurses and doctors and more than 200 patients were inside, though medical personnel were ferried to and from a temporary quarantine center in another part of Taipei to rest.

Deputy Taipei Mayor Ou Chin-der yesterday urged 58 workers of the hospital who are currently on vacation or overseas to report to the hospital as soon as possible. They will be put under quarantine after return, government officials said.

In the first two days, more than 70 fearful hospital workers and others sought unsuccessfully to escape from the hospital, saying they don't want to be confined under the same roof with SARS patients. Then there was a protest by families of the quarantined outside the hospital. A local television channel even aired an interview with a home-quarantined person.

All this has led United States health officials now in Taiwan to worry that the island "is out of order."

Lee said he was frustrated with the lack of cooperation from the public, adding this was why Taiwan's disease prevention system has been "in a mess" over the past two days.

"How can our medical personnel challenge the government's order with 'human rights' at a time like this?" Lee said.

The quarantine is expected to last 14 days, but that could change.

"We hope 14 days will be enough to control the illness, but medical experts do not exclude extending that period," Ou said during a visit to the hospital site yesterday morning.

Taiwan is considering tougher restrictions on visitors of any nationality arriving in Taiwan from Hong Kong and mainland China, according to officials.

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