Posted 1:55 PM by Dr. Kay

WHO Predicts World Will Be Free of Human SARS Cases in a Few Weeks

BANGKOK (Reuters) Jun 27 - The World Health Organization said Friday the world population should be SARS-free within the next two to three weeks, but warned the disease could emerge from animal reservoirs in China again next winter.

David Heymann, director of the WHO's communicable diseases division, told Reuters he expected Taiwan and Toronto--the only two areas still regarded as zones where the disease could be transmitted--to be given a clean bill of health by the first week of July.

"It appears we've had the peak of the epidemic in all countries," Heymann said in an interview ahead of a meeting of Asia Pacific health ministers in Bangkok Saturday.

"All countries are probably now going to be SARS-free within the next two to three weeks. SARS will be gone, we believe, from human populations."

Severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS), which is believed to have jumped from animals to humans in southern China late last year, has killed more than 800 people worldwide, infected some 8500, trimmed economic growth forecasts and cost billions of dollars in lost business.

Hong Kong and China, which were the most severely affected, were given the all-clear by WHO this month and Taiwan and Toronto, Canada, are expected to follow soon.

"If these two countries have no reintroduction or no new cases then by the first week of July all countries should be off the list and therefore we can say that transmission has been interrupted in human populations," Heymann said.

He said the WHO was still clarifying with the Taiwanese government when health officials there had isolated their most recent case.

Countries are removed from the WHO's list of areas of SARS transmission when they have gone for 20 consecutive days without reporting a new case, twice the time it takes for the disease to develop in humans.

The WHO says that Taiwan's last SARS patient was isolated on June 15. "This is the period of the greatest danger as was shown in Canada, which exited the list of affected countries and then had another peak. The word now is vigilance," Heymann said.

He however said there was a risk the disease could once again be transmitted to human populations from animals in southern China in November or December of this year and that China's efforts at future prevention would be a major focus of attention at the weekend heath minister's meeting in Bangkok.

"The one thing we don't know is whether it will be cyclical, whether it will occur seasonally," Heymann said.

Posted 9:36 PM by Dr. Kay

'Taiwan free from SARS'

By Our Diplomatic Correspondent

NEW DELHI JULY 9. The seven-year-old Taipei Economic and Cultural Centre (TECC), New Delhi, held its first-ever press conference today to announce that Taiwan was free from the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS). The invitation mentioned that this was the first press conference of its kind that the TECC was organising. K.T. Chen, TECC Representative in New Delhi, who met the press at his office, read out a statement but added that he was not prepared to answer questions.

India and Taiwan have maintained low-key, non-Government contacts and the TECC opened in 1995. A similar Indian entity began functioning in Taipei as well. There are obvious sensitivities involved, with India holding steadfast to its "one China'' policy.

"The Indian side recalled that India was among the first countries to recognise that there is one China and its `one China' policy remains unaltered. The Chinese side expressed its appreciation of the Indian position,'' the recent joint declaration issued by the Chinese and Indian Prime Ministers in Beijing said.

Mr. Chen said the World Health Organisation (WHO) formally removed Taiwan from its list of areas with local transmission of SARS while the travel advisory against the island was lifted on June 17.

Declaring that Taiwan was a "safe and healthy'' place to visit, he said the island stood ready to welcome friends from abroad for business and pleasure. Mr. Chen, however, used his statement to pitch for Taiwan's association with the WHO. "The outbreak and spread of SARS, which had brought illness, death and economic peril to Asia and the rest of the world, has also drawn attention to Taiwan's exclusion from the WHO.'' ``The time has come for the members of WHO to acknowledge that the exclusion of Taiwan's membership or even observer status in the organisation is unjustified, and that this exclusion creates a gap in the global defence against diseases...'' According to Mr. Chen, it was, therefore, "imperative'' that the WHO invites Taiwan to participate, as an observer, in achieving the comprehensive objectives of the organisation.

Twins die on operation table

SINGAPORE July 8. The brave new surgery that an international team of medical professionals carried out in Singapore to separate two adult conjoined twins ended in failure today, as both women died, one after the other, during the marathon operation itself.

The shared wish of the Iranian twins was to become ``separated in all circumstances'' and, in a tragic twist, they died due to heavy loss of blood that followed a clinically "successful'' separation surgery, it was announced here.

The high-risk operation, first of its kind in the world as regards an attempt to separate grown-up twins joined at their heads, began on Sunday morning after a long period of careful assessments of the surgical possibilities and preparations, including counselling of the generally-cheerful twins themselves.

As the surgery proceeded, the doctors reported cautious optimism before they felt inclined to consider suspending the operation in the context of some complications late on Monday.

However, the complex operation was not halted in deference to the stated pre-surgery wishes of the twins to become separated and lead independent lives.

They had reportedly agreed to take the massive risks involved in the unprecedented surgery.

With a suspension of the surgery ruled out, it finally ended by late afternoon today.