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China travel warning { March 31 2003 } Original Source Link: (May no longer be active)
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/2901607.stmhttp://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/2901607.stm
Last Updated: Monday, 31 March, 2003, 23:20 GMT 00:20 UK
France issues China travel warning
The French authorities are advising against travel to Hong Kong or mainland China because of the outbreak of a deadly new virus.
French chief medical officer Lucien Abenhaim said Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) were not confined to people who had direct contact with an infected person.
"It seems that in Hong Kong there are certain cases where you no longer find this trace of direct contact. It's disturbing," he said.
Last week, the United States, Canada, the Republic of Ireland and Australia issued advice to cancel or "re-consider" trips to the affected regions - but the United Kingdom is not making any recommendations.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) on Monday said it had received information of over 1,600 probable cases of the virus and 58 deaths worldwide.
CASES OF SARS (WHO data)
China 806 - (34 deaths)
Hong Kong 530 (13 deaths)
Singapore 91 (2 deaths)
Vietnam 58 (4 deaths)
Canada 44 (4 deaths)
US 58
Britain 3
Germany 5
The spread of the illness has hit air travel in the region, with several airlines reducing flights because of falling ticket sales.
The WHO says that 11 laboratories worldwide are trying to identify the causative agent of the virus, which has killed at least 60 people.
But a WHO official, Dr Hitoshi Oshitani, told a news conference in the Philippines that a cure may never be found.
Quarantine
In Hong Kong, 213 cases have been linked to the Amoy Gardens housing estate in urban Kowloon.
Policemen and health workers wearing surgical masks are at the estate, where residents of one block of flats have been ordered to stay at home until midnight (1600 GMT) on 9 April.
Hong Kong Health Secretary Yeoh Eng-kiong said the fact that most of these cases were from the same two apartment units on several floors of the building, raised the possibility that the virus was spreading vertically.
Under the quarantine order, the confined residents will receive health inspections and free meals from the government for the duration.
But many residents of the estate have already fled, raising fears that they could carry the virus to other parts of the community.
Estate residents have been speaking of their terror in the face of SARS, which some now believe to be airborne, rather than spread by droplets from sneezing or coughing.
"I'm scared. I'm taking my temperature every day," said one woman resident. "I stayed at home for several days. It's terrifying. I think I'll get it sooner or later."
HAVE YOUR SAY
After news of the SARS outbreak in Hong Kong I decided to cancel the trip
Jason Yip, UK
The authorities have closed schools and ordered more than 1,000 friends and family members of patients to also be quarantined from Monday.
Last week in response to health fears, the Canadian government advised its citizens to "defer travel, until further notice" to Hong Kong, China, Singapore, Taiwan and Hanoi, Vietnam.
In the United States, health authorities advised against "non-essential travel" to China and Hong Kong, Singapore and Hanoi, Vietnam.
And Australians have been told they "should reconsider their need to travel to these countries".
In the Republic of Ireland, health officials advised against non-essential travel to specific areas in China, Singapore and Toronto in Canada.
But the Foreign Office in the United Kingdom says: "No restrictions on travel are currently being recommended."
In other developments: Arrivals into France from south east Asia have to fill in forms giving their telephone numbers and addresses A fourth death from the disease was reported in Singapore on Monday. Nurses in surgical masks have begun screening air passengers arriving in Singapore. Taiwan has quarantined at least 500 people and is considering suspending travel links with China. China Airlines, Thai Airways, Cathay Pacific and Dragonair have cancelled or reduced flights. Stock markets in Asia registered big falls amid fears that the outbreak would damage local economies.
Culprit
The US Centres for Disease Control says SARS is caused by a Corona virus from the same family as that which causes the common cold.
The Pasteur Institute in France has drawn a similar conclusion from its analysis of samples.
A WHO official the virus may have come from an animal and is more infectious than the Ebola virus that ravaged parts of Africa.
Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/asia-pacific/2901607.stm
Published: 2003/03/31 23:20:42
© BBC MMIII
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