Print

Mail

wiki links

WHO says SARS outbreak has peaked

Asia reported no new SARS cases yesterday as the World Health Organization (WHO) declared the outbreak of the deadly virus had peaked throughout the world and businesses geared up for recovery.

News that China, Hong Kong and Taiwan had reported no new cases of SARS came after the WHO noted that no new deaths had been reported on Wednesday for the first time since March 28.

The number of fatalities edged higher with China reporting two more, and Hong Kong announced one new fatality.

In Canada, the only country outside Asia to suffer SARS deaths, health authorities said a second major outbreak was on the wane.

Even the usually cautious WHO was prepared to say SARS was on the run after killing more than 770 out of nearly 8,400 who have caught the pneumonia-like disease, which has wreaked economic havoc in several Asian regions and badly hurt the global travel industry.

"We dare to say that the SARS epidemic is over its peak period," Henk Bekedam, chief representative for the WHO in China told a news briefing.

"We can see it globally and we can see it in China."

China yesterday reported no new cases of SARS and two new deaths in the previous 24 hours, taking the toll to 336 fatalities from 5,329 cases.

Hong Kong announced one SARS death, but for the second time since the outbreak was first declared in mid-March, there were no new cases, leaving the number of infections at 1,748 and lifting the toll to 284.

Hong Kong's Chief Executive Tung Chee-hwa (董建華) welcomed a US decision to lift its SARS-related travel advisory for the territory -- two weeks after the WHO took the same step -- as further proof "travel to Hong Kong is safe and life is returning to normal."

Mike Rowse, the head of the government's overseas investment body InvestHK, said he expects the first group of business travellers to arrive in Hong Kong later this month and for visits to return to "full gear next month."

Several Asian airlines said they were preparing to restore some of the flights they had cut amid plummeting passenger numbers at the height of the outbreak.
This story has been viewed 2756 times.