[Public health measures for contagious diseases in Denmark]

Patients with contagious diseases were not seen as a threat to the general public health for several years. However, the threat of bioterrorism in 2001 and the outbreak of SARS in 2003 changed the picture. For now, most governments want to be prepared for a worst case scenario. In Denmark, the health authorities recommend the establishment of isolation units with a capacity of treating 30 patients in eastern Denmark and 30 in western Denmark. In eastern Denmark an isolation unit will be opened this year (2007). It has 28 negative-pressure rooms with enough space for intensive care and room for 56 patients.