Tories accused of scaremongering over the threat to public health
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Your support makes all the difference.Ministers have accused the Tories of scaremongering over the Sars virus and said the public should not panic about its threat to Britain.
Hazel Blears, the Public Health minister, said people had received "the fullest possible information" on the dangers of the virus. She said the health service was well equipped to deal with the outbreak and rejected calls for screening, which she said would be "pointless" because people did not become contagious until they had symptoms.
She said on Today on BBC Radio 4: "This is a very serious situation and I genuinely believe our response has been proportionate, responsible and effective. We have a very clear strategy: we want to make sure the public and the NHS have got the fullest possible information, we want to try and minimise travel to the affected areas, we are finding and reporting any suspected cases, we are following up their contacts and treating people appropriately in isolation."
The minister's defence of government policy follows an accusation by Liam Fox, the shadow Health Secretary, that her strategy was "feeble, complacent and irresponsible.
"All around the world Sars is causing immense alarm. Here, on the other hand, ministers' conduct would make people think that nothing serious is going on," Dr Fox said.
Six people in Britain who are believed to have contracted the virus have now recovered and left hospital.
The Liberal Democrats accused the Government of offering "inconsistent advice" on the Department of Health website and said it was "way behind the game." Evan Harris, the party's health spokes-man, called for a cross- government group to look at the outbreak. He attacked Tory calls to quarantine people without symptoms.
"If you start restricting and threatening to incarcerate people who are healthy, some people won't co-operate, will go underground and that will make it even riskier," he said.
"This is the first problem we have seen of this nature. If politicians are not reassured, then what I would consider irresponsible politicians like the Conservatives, who have a bad record on public health given their wrong stance on MMR, will stoke up public anxiety," Dr Harris told the programme.
His comments follow assurances by Professor Sir Liam Donaldson, the chief medical officer, who insisted sufficient precautions were being taken.
Ms Blears said that the small number of possible cases, and their recovery, was "evidence that our public health systems are really robust".
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