China Allows WHO Access To Study SARS
Travelers Advised To Avoid Hong Kong, Guangdong Province
The number of deaths linked to severe acute respiratory syndrome has risen to at least 78 worldwide, most of them in Asia.
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How SARS WorksThe Chinese government is now a full partner with the World Health Organization, said Dr. David Heymann, WHO executive director of communicable diseases, in a press release Wednesday. The government has agreed to let a WHO team visit the Guangdong province, where the disease was first reported in November but was downplayed for months.
"These are very positive steps taken today by China," said Heymann. "As a result, we'll be able to gather even more evidence about the nature of the SARS outbreak in China."
He said health experts are eager to get a firsthand look at the area where the disease is believed to have first occurred.
The United States is urging China to provide more information about SARS. China has been under fire for withholding information on the outbreak.
The illness has spread to at least six other nations, including Canada. Most of the nearly 2,000 known victims have recovered or are recovering. More than 70 suspected SARS cases in the United States are under investigation by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
World health officials are advising travelers not to go to Hong Kong or the Guangdong province of China. They say at least nine foreign businessmen have caught SARS in Hong Kong and returned home with it.
Heymann said this is the first time the agency has advised people to avoid a specific area because of an ailment for which there is no vaccine or drug.
However, scientists have learned that infection control methods work to contain the spread of SARS in hospitals, even in countries that do not have the most modern equipment.
Heymann said control measures are working in many countries, and the spread of the disease is believed to be stopped in Vietnam.
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