(AFP) -- The World Health Organisation called for a global hunt to track down every possible SARS case after revealing a sharp rise in the mortality rate from the disease in recent weeks.
The WHO appeal came at a meeting Saturday of Asian health ministers and international experts in Kuala Lumpur as Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) claimed another life in neighbouring Singapore.
The respiratory illness that first emerged in the southern Chinese province of Guangdong nearly six months ago has now killed at least 278 people, mostly in Asia, and infected more than 4,800 people in more than 25 countries.
Several governments have already introduced sweeping emergency measures to curb the spread of the disease, quarantining thousands of people and sealing off entire buildings, hospitals and schools.
Shigeru Omi, the WHO's Asian director, said everyone infected with SARS as well as anyone they have been in contact with must be found in order to halt the explosive epidemic in its tracks.
"We cannot afford to miss a single person," Omi told the conference in Kuala Lumpur, which is a prelude to an emergency regional summit Tuesday in Bangkok aimed at forging a united front against the disease.
"We are at a crossroads. What we decide today and at the heads of state meeting on Tuesday will determine the future course of this outbreak," Omi said.
"We must be absolutely relentless in our search for every possible SARS case. We must use every weapon at our disposal. The world is watching us."
Omi said although the number of SARS cases and deaths was not large compared to other diseaseas, the illness posed an "unprecedented" threat and had distinct characteristics.
"First this virus has already demonstrated its explosive power to cause sudden outbreaks in a large number of countries," he said.
"In some countries schools and offices are being closed, international travel has been dramatically reduced, tourism has almost disappeared and normal life has been seriously disrupted," he said.
A second characteristic was the severe impact on health workers, Omi said.
"This is a major concern since this means that our health systems are under threat, undermining our ability to fight the outbreak," he said.
Omi's rallying call came as officials at the WHO's Geneva headquarters played down fears that a more virulent strain of the disease could be responsible for a surge in the death rate in recent weeks.
David Heymann, the UN agency's executive director of communicable diseases, said although the mortality rate had risen from four percent to "five to six percent", statistical reasons could be behind the increase.
"This is normal as you get to understand the disease, and (it) does not in any way at this point indicate that there has been a mutation (of the SARS virus) to a more virulent form."
The WHO has declared several regions no-go zones as it attempts to contain SARS, issuing travel advisories warning visitors to steer clear of Beijing, Hong Kong and the Canadian city of Toronto.
China, the worst affected country from the outbreak, announced it would invest some 3.5 billion yuan (421 million dollars) in a nationwide network to deal with health emergencies.
In Hong Kong, which has seen 115 deaths and more than 1,500 cases, a report said the city's chief executive Tung Chee-hwa could be the subject of a motion by lawmakers demanding his resignation over the handling of the crisis.
The motion by independent legislator Albert Chan was not expected to succeed but follows speculation that Beijing may be losing faith in Tung, the South China Morning Post said in a front page report.
In the Philippines, President Gloria Arroyo announced that a crisis committee had been handed wide-ranging powers to "contain, control, prevent and otherwise restrict the spread of SARS in the country."
Hong Kong and China have reported 115 deaths each. Other countries to have recorded fatalities are Canada (19), Singapore (18), Vietnam (5), Philippines (2), Malaysia (2) and Thailand (2).
Scientists have so far identified the coronavirus -- the family which causes the common cold -- as the cause but experts have warned neither a cure nor a vaccine is imminent.
http://www.rense.com/general37/explog.htm
The WHO appeal came at a meeting Saturday of Asian health ministers and international experts in Kuala Lumpur as Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) claimed another life in neighbouring Singapore.
The respiratory illness that first emerged in the southern Chinese province of Guangdong nearly six months ago has now killed at least 278 people, mostly in Asia, and infected more than 4,800 people in more than 25 countries.
Several governments have already introduced sweeping emergency measures to curb the spread of the disease, quarantining thousands of people and sealing off entire buildings, hospitals and schools.
Shigeru Omi, the WHO's Asian director, said everyone infected with SARS as well as anyone they have been in contact with must be found in order to halt the explosive epidemic in its tracks.
"We cannot afford to miss a single person," Omi told the conference in Kuala Lumpur, which is a prelude to an emergency regional summit Tuesday in Bangkok aimed at forging a united front against the disease.
"We are at a crossroads. What we decide today and at the heads of state meeting on Tuesday will determine the future course of this outbreak," Omi said.
"We must be absolutely relentless in our search for every possible SARS case. We must use every weapon at our disposal. The world is watching us."
Omi said although the number of SARS cases and deaths was not large compared to other diseaseas, the illness posed an "unprecedented" threat and had distinct characteristics.
"First this virus has already demonstrated its explosive power to cause sudden outbreaks in a large number of countries," he said.
"In some countries schools and offices are being closed, international travel has been dramatically reduced, tourism has almost disappeared and normal life has been seriously disrupted," he said.
A second characteristic was the severe impact on health workers, Omi said.
"This is a major concern since this means that our health systems are under threat, undermining our ability to fight the outbreak," he said.
Omi's rallying call came as officials at the WHO's Geneva headquarters played down fears that a more virulent strain of the disease could be responsible for a surge in the death rate in recent weeks.
David Heymann, the UN agency's executive director of communicable diseases, said although the mortality rate had risen from four percent to "five to six percent", statistical reasons could be behind the increase.
"This is normal as you get to understand the disease, and (it) does not in any way at this point indicate that there has been a mutation (of the SARS virus) to a more virulent form."
The WHO has declared several regions no-go zones as it attempts to contain SARS, issuing travel advisories warning visitors to steer clear of Beijing, Hong Kong and the Canadian city of Toronto.
China, the worst affected country from the outbreak, announced it would invest some 3.5 billion yuan (421 million dollars) in a nationwide network to deal with health emergencies.
In Hong Kong, which has seen 115 deaths and more than 1,500 cases, a report said the city's chief executive Tung Chee-hwa could be the subject of a motion by lawmakers demanding his resignation over the handling of the crisis.
The motion by independent legislator Albert Chan was not expected to succeed but follows speculation that Beijing may be losing faith in Tung, the South China Morning Post said in a front page report.
In the Philippines, President Gloria Arroyo announced that a crisis committee had been handed wide-ranging powers to "contain, control, prevent and otherwise restrict the spread of SARS in the country."
Hong Kong and China have reported 115 deaths each. Other countries to have recorded fatalities are Canada (19), Singapore (18), Vietnam (5), Philippines (2), Malaysia (2) and Thailand (2).
Scientists have so far identified the coronavirus -- the family which causes the common cold -- as the cause but experts have warned neither a cure nor a vaccine is imminent.
http://www.rense.com/general37/explog.htm
