Posted 9:29 PM by Dr. Kay

SARS contained, says WHO

Geneva: The World Health Organisation on Saturday said the pneumonia-like illness SARS had been contained worldwide after it declared Taiwan, the last country on its watch list, free of new infections. But it warned the world was not SARS-free and continued vigilance was needed. ``Today the World Health Organisation is removing Taiwan ... from the list of areas with recent local transmission of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS),'' the United Nations agency said in a statement. ``Taiwan is the last area to be removed from the list. It has been 20 days, or two consecutive 10-day incubation periods, since the last case on June 15. ``Based on country surveillance reports, the human chains of SARS virus transmission appear to have been broken everywhere in the world.'' (In the picture, Taiwanese are seen celebrating the WHO's announcement in Taipei on Saturday.)

— AFP

Continue alert against SARS, says WHO

By Our Special Correspondent

NEW DELHI July 5. Even as the SARS scare has become a thing of the past, a meeting of experts convened by the World Health Organisation has emphasised the need to continue the alert against the disease to prevent it from returning.

The three-day consultation, organised by the organistaion's Southeast Asia Regional Office, called for strengthening the mechanism for the surveillance of SARS and other atypical pneumonia and improve upon the facilities for the treatment of such highly infectious diseases.

Besides, the experts underlined the importance of health authorities being `pro-active' in sharing information with the media not only when such an epidemic occurred but also in normal times to ensure a rapid dissemination of correct information for public awareness.

Apart from experts from the 10 countries which were covered by WHO's SEARO, the meeting was attended by specialists from WHO headquarters.

Posted 11:05 AM by Dr. Kay

China SARS case sparks WHO concern

Beijing June 25 . A day after being declared SARS-free, China today reported a new case of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome in Guangdong province, sparking concern from the World Health Orgaisation.

One death was also recorded, in Beijing, the Health Ministry said.

``This does not affect our decision and the emergence of another case stays within our guidelines,'' a WHO spokesman, Bob Dietz, said.

``We are concerned, but our concern would be greater if this was a new emerging case and not a case that has developed from an already identified suspected case.

``We know there are people suspected of having SARS, a person not diagnosed as suspected who emerges as a probable case would be a matter of greater concern.

``We do not want to see SARS re-emerge in the general public at large.''

The WHO yesterday lifted its travel advisory against Beijing, the world's most SARS-hit city, and pronounced the country free from the chain of local transmission.

Celebrations

Earlier, with flying confetti and clanging gongs, Beijing celebrated the lifting of the World Health Organization's SARS travel warning over the city, reopened discos and Internet cafes and sought to resuscitate its battered tourism industry.

Banner headlines in Chinese newspapers cheered WHO's yesterday's announcement giving a clean bill of health to the capital of the nation where the outbreak began and lifting the last remaining SARS warning anywhere in the world.

``Our wish is finally fulfilled, we smile again,'' the popular Beijing Youth Daily said above a photograph of city residents posing in front of a banner reading, ``We win!''

``Beijing returns to normal,'' the China Youth Daily said on its front page.

Beijing was simultaneously removed from a WHO list of places with recent local transmissions of the disease — a move recognising the passage of more than 20 days since the last SARS case was isolated.

City travel bureau officials and representatives of tour agencies rallied at the Beijing Exhibition Hall to relaunch the city's tourism industry. Hotels, tour agencies and transportation companies are reported to have suffered 16 billion yuan ($1.9 billions) losses during the outbreak. An estimated 10 million fewer visitors came to the city during the first half of the year due to domestic travel restrictions and foreigners heeding the April 23 WHO advisory, which urged people to delay any non-urgent trips.

``We've taken the opportunity of this suspension to move the Beijing travel industry up a step,'' said Ding Changjiang, director of the Beijing Travel Bureau. — AP/AFP