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The cause of the severe acute respiratory syndrome (Sars) crippling Hong Kong has been pinned down to a new coronavirus. This represents a significant first step towards conquering the disease. But as the number of casualities continues to rise, there is still a disappointing lack of unity between our universities in the war against atypical pneumonia.
When Block E of the Amoy Gardens housing estate was identified as a source of the killer bug, the government made a decisive move to seal off the entire building and isolate its tenants. Although drastic, it has helped to contain the outbreak.
In contrast, the authorities have been dragging their feet over another high-risk facility - the Prince of Wales Hospital in Sha Tin. The Health Department, Hospital Authority and the Chinese University's (CUHK) medical faculty all failed to shut down Prince of Wales in mid-March, even after there were clear signs of an epidemic.
Even the Hospital Authority's chief executive, William Ho Siu-wai, became infected after visiting the Prince of Wales hospital. Dr Ho must have been aware of the risks, yet he failed to protect himself from the vicious virus. There were obviously serious loopholes in the hospital's protective measures.
The tally of sufferers has continued to rise. There is no reason for the Prince of Wales to remain open. It is, to put it mildly, mind-boggling that the authorities have yet to declare the facility off limits.
Local researchers at CUHK and the University of Hong Kong (HKU) have made a major contribution towards identifying the mysterious virus. The HKU team, led by microbiologist Yuen Kwok-yung and virologist Malik Peiris, confirmed that the atypical pneumonia was caused by a new coronavirus.
Meanwhile, the team has also developed a speedy test which can help ascertain whether a patient has contracted the disease within hours. It has now been approved by the World Health Organisation and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in the US.
This contradicts CUHK's earlier claim that a paramyxovirus was responsible for the disease. Perhaps acting out of professional jealousy, some people have tried to discredit the new test by questioning the sensitivity and reliability of the new method.
In fact, HKU's scientists have had a difficult time acquiring samples of the virus to work on in the first place. The main source of samples has been the Prince of Wales, which is the teaching hospital of CUHK. The hospital has supplied samples from patients to the Health Department for distribution to relevant bodies for scientific research. CUHK, however, is said to have asked the department not to provide any of its samples to its arch-rival.
At such a critical time, some people are apparently still putting their narrow personal or institutional interests before those of the general public. This parochial mentality has no place in the community's fight against the virus as jittery residents hold out hope for an early scientific breakthrough in the development of a cure or vaccine.
CUHK has long locked horns with HKU for the title of Hong Kong's best tertiary higher institution. Sadly, this rivalry has degenerated into unhealthy competition.
While it is unrealistic to expect the two universities' research teams to close ranks and work together, one should know better than to undermine somebody else's work in a race against the clock such as this.
