'Screen travellers for killer pneumonia'
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.All passengers from countries affected by the outbreak of the lethal strain of pneumonia should be screened before being allowed to travel, the World Health Organisation said yesterday.
As the number of cases of severe acute respiratory syndrome (Sars) rose to 1,300 worldwide, with more than 50 deaths, health authorities redoubled their efforts to contain the spread of the disease.
In a tightening of its travel advice, the WHO said travellers from the worst hit areas – Guangdong province in southern China, Hong Kong, Hanoi, Taiwan, Singapore and Toronto – should be asked whether they had had contact with a Sars case or were suffering any of the symptoms before being allowed to board aircraft.
Although no cases of Sars are known to have been transmitted during air travel, the WHO said it could be spread to passengers sitting within one or two rows of a sick person.
Officials stopped short of calling for curbs on travel to or from the affected areas, but the Rolling Stones have postponed two concerts scheduled for this weekend in Hong Kong.
Hong Kong has invoked a quarantine law similar to that imposed in Singapore earlier in the week and announced all schools would close for a week from tomorrow. Anyone who has had contact with Sars is required to stay away from school or work for 10 days and attend a designated clinic for daily checks, or face a fine or jail.
Scientists believe the most likely cause of Sars is a corona virus, a cause of the common cold, which may combine with another virus to create severe disease in humans. The WHO said it believed it was a new disease which may have jumped the species barrier.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments