May. 05/2003 -There has been very little concern among the Dominican community in Toronto and it has been business as usual despite the outbreak of SARS which has already killed over 20 people there, Dominicans in Canada's largest city have told The Sun.
As of April 30th, a cumulative total of 5663 probable SARS cases with 372 deaths have been reported from 26 countries, according to World Health Organization (WHO) figures. Of the 372 fatalities, 23 have occurred in Ontario, the province that contains Toronto.
The onset of severe acute respiratory syndrome in Toronto had led the WHO to issue an advisory against non-essential travel to the Canadian city of 2.5 million people. Since the advisory was lifted last Tuesday, SARS has claimed two more victims, including the youngest - a 39-year-old man who had previously been in hospital with symptoms of the disease.
However, the disease has done little to slow down Dominicans residing in the city with most pointing to the fact that only about six percent of SARS patients succumb to the disease, the vast majority of whom are elderly people with other ailments.
"It hasn't affected my daily routine. I haven't really heard of any major concerns (among Dominicans) and people are going about their business," said Chris Volney, a Dominican who has been living in Toronto since 1980.
"From my family's point of view, we have experienced none of that (SARS) and I know of no one who has," Volney told The Sun in a telephone interview.
"In terms of way of life, very little has changed. I take the train to work; I'm in the elevator with people. I'm coping fine," stated Frances Delsol who has been living in Canada since the mid-1970's. "In my office I haven't seen anybody sick. I don't know anybody who has been affected. It's business as usual."
Athenia Benjamin also takes the train to and from work daily. She said that she has tried to avoid holding on to the rails at the subway stations and that she has used clinical wipes a lot more since the outbreak of the mysterious disease.
In fact, if anything has changed since SARS, the Dominicans said, it would be the reinforcement of good hygiene.
"If I were to say anything that I do outside the ordinary, I wash my hands more now," said Delsol, who, like Benjamin, also spoke to the Sun in a telephone interview. "I wouldn't use a public phone at this time."
"The only thing I did differently was to wash my hands frequently. Every time I came off the train I would wash my hands," stressed Benjamin.
According to the WHO, the primary way that SARS is spread is by close personal contact with most cases involving people who cared for or lived with someone with SARS, or had direct contact with infectious material (for example, respiratory secretions) from a person who has SARS.
"Potential ways in which SARS can be spread include touching the skin of other people or objects that are contaminated with infectious droplets and then touching your eye(s), nose, or mouth. This can happen when someone who is sick with SARS coughs or sneezes droplets onto themselves, other people, or nearby surfaces," the WHO has said.
The Dominican community in Toronto is aware of this and people remain alert. However, they continue to congregate and socialize as normal, they all told the Sun.
Volney said he was not worried about sending his children, ages 10 and 13, to school; during the Easter celebrations Benjamin went to church and mingled, and shook friends' hands, and Delsol said she had not stopped socializing.
"I still go out to social events. Last weekend I was out. Tomorrow evening (Wednesday April 30th) we have an event, on Saturday (May 3rd) I'm going out," stressed Delsol.
And with the summer festival, Caribana around the corner, the Dominicans were adamant that SARS would not stop the July 18th to August 4th event which is in its 36th year.
This position was emphasized by Volney who told The Sun: "Caribana will go on full force and you know us West Indians we like to party. It will take more than SARS to stop Caribana."