Health Officials Say SARS Can Be Eradicated

World health officials believe severe acute respiratory syndrome can be eradicated, but they said there's a very narrow window of opportunity to stop the disease in its tracks.

Speaking at a press conference Friday, World Health Organization officials said that if the appropriate measures are not put in place, there is a risk that this disease can become endemic and established in human populations.

But Dr. Mike Ryan, coordinator of the WHO's Global Outbreak Alert and Response Network, said that of the 26 countries that have reported cases, the vast majority have contained the disease "extremely well."

A dozen Asian countries -- including China -- are considering joining forces to fight SARS.

Their efforts could include mandatory health declarations for all passengers and travel bans on anyone with symptoms of the deadly respiratory illness.

Officials from some of the worst-affected nations are meeting in Malaysia. They are putting the final details on a draft statement announcing more aggressive SARS-control measures.

In addition to travel bans and health declarations, it's expected to call for better information-sharing among nations -- and more stringent passenger screenings at international departure points.

The draft statement is to be presented to health ministers Saturday.

Officials also said Vietnam may become the first country to contain SARS. There have been no new cases reported in the country for the past 17 days.

If no new cases are detected by April 30 -- a date that marks the end of two incubation periods -- Vietnam could become the first country to be taken off the list of SARS-affected countries.

Vietnam was the second country to experience a SARS outbreak, after China. The country has reported a total of 63 cases and five deaths from the disease.

Although experts say they don't know enough about the disease to compare it to others, they say it's clearly distinguishable from such epidemics as AIDS.

"At the beginning of the AIDS epidemic, and as we began to understand the disease, we were dealing with a disease that was almost 100 percent fatal," Ryan said. "In the case of SARS, that is clearly not the case. The vast majority of people who get SARS recover, recover well and seemingly without ongoing problems. So that fact alone, I believe, would clearly distinguish the two epidemics."

As of Friday, SARS had killed more than 270 people and infected more than 4,600 worldwide. The United States is reporting 39 probable cases and no deaths.

Of the U.S. cases, 37 occurred in travelers to parts of the world where SARS transmission is occurring, one occurred in a health care worker, and one was a household contact.

Dr. Julie Gerberding, director of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, explained that there's a lag between the time a case is first recognized to when it's reported to the CDC -- and even more time before it's added to the U.S. total cases.

"Even if a report is called in initially, we go through a pretty detailed process of filling in the blanks and making sure that we have all the information before it's included in our case list," Gerberding said.

One disease expert said SARS likely will never go away completely.

Dr. Jeffrey Koplan, a former CDC director, said the best that medicine can do now is to minimize the illness.

Canada Says Toronto Safe For Visitors

Canadian officials are setting out to promote Toronto, as the city's troubles with SARS continue.

Officials hope the WHO will rescind its SARS travel warning for Toronto soon. But two more deaths from the disease have been reported, bringing the total in the Toronto area to 18. The city also has more than 250 suspected cases.

Prime Minister Jean Chretien said he spoke to the organization Friday, and Toronto's SARS situation is to be reviewed next week.

WHO officials said they commend Canada's handling of the SARS outbreak, but they won't rescind the travel warning until the disease has been contained.

Toronto Mayor Mel Lastman is promising travelers they will have a good time in the city, which he said remains a safe, healthy place to visit.

The SARS travel warning has caused several groups to cancel or postpone conferences scheduled in Toronto.

While the WHO is urging people not to travel to Toronto unless absolutely necessary, the United States hasn't added the city to its list of restricted travel areas.

"There is no evidence that travelers to (Toronto) are at any different risk of acquiring SARS than they are from going to any number of the other countries in the world where sporadic cases have cropped up among returning travelers," Gerberding said.

However, the CDC is alerting travelers to Canada about the SARS situation in Toronto and urging them to avoid the city's health care facilities, where the disease may be transmitted.

And the world's two largest cruise lines said they will screen every passenger who either is from Toronto or traveled through Toronto for SARS symptoms.

Carnival Cruise Lines and Royal Caribbean Cruise officials said they will bar any of those passengers with a fever over 100.4 degrees or other symptoms.

Both Miami-based lines have already banned passengers who have traveled to China, Singapore, Hong Kong or Vietnam within two weeks of a departure.

Company officials said the move is prompted by the WHO's decision to add Toronto to the list of places travelers should avoid.

Concerns about SARS have prompted a religious order to tell hundreds of Toronto-area pilgrims to stay away from an annual outdoor Mass scheduled for Sunday in Massachusetts.

The Marian Fathers' special Mass annually draws more than 20,000 people to the scenic Shrine of Divine Mercy in the Berkshire Hills.

The state's chief epidemiologist recommended the move because the disease is highly contagious.

Kathleen Ervin, a spokeswoman for the Marians, said the order had been expecting 11 tour buses from the Toronto area. Now, she said any groups arriving from Toronto at the Sunday Mass will be asked to leave.

Thousands Quarantined In China

A Beijing health official said 4,000 people have been quarantine as part of the fight against SARS.

The official said people who had "intimate contact" with others showing SARS symptoms have been ordered to stay at home. Some college dormitories have also been closed.

Speaking at a news conference, the deputy director general of the Beijing Health Bureau didn't say who the people were or how long they had been ordered to stay home.

The announcement comes two days after officials in Beijing, where at least 39 people have died, said the city was invoking emergency powers to quarantine people exposed to SARS.

On Thursday, a third Beijing hospital was sealed off in an effort to contain the virus.

Throughout the rest of China, there has been a rush of official actions being taken in response to SARS. In the southern city of Wuxi, officials are blocking buses from Beijing from entering the city.

In Shanghai, China's biggest metropolis, special SARS inspection teams are checking vehicles at every highway toll gate near the city's border.

Chinese officials said the country will spend the equivalent of $420 million to set up a nationwide health network to fight the respiratory illness and deal with other medical emergencies.

It's also setting aside money to pay for emergency services for people with SARS who can't pay for their own care, along with money for more research.

China has been widely criticized for its slow response to the outbreak. SARS has killed at least 115 people in that country alone. Hospitals on the mainland are treating 179 new cases -- 2,600 cases overall.

Hong Kong Health Workers: Too Little Protection Provided

Hospital officials in Hong Kong are facing criticism after some emergency workers say they weren't given enough protection to handle the SARS virus.

Hundreds of front-line medical workers have reportedly come down with the illness in Hong Kong. One doctor still on the job said the paper gowns they are given are as effective as "tissue paper."

About 1,500 people in Hong Kong have been infected, with more than 300 health workers coming down with the virus. Six more deaths in Hong Kong were announced Thursday.

Health workers in Hong Kong have been falling ill daily for almost a month. Government officials have pledged to bring in additional masks and robes to reduce their infections as soon as possible.

And there is more help coming. A local newspaper is raising money to buy hospital staff head-to-toe fabric suits.

Pakistan May Suspend Flights To SARS Countries

Pakistan is thinking about suspending all flights to SARS-hit countries.

Pakistan's state news agency reported the possibility Friday, saying the nation already is checking for SARS symptoms in airline passengers arriving from East Asia or Canada.

The measures illustrate how concern about the disease is spreading outside of East Asia. Pakistan has no reported cases of SARS yet, but has already allocated hospital beds for potential SARS victims.

Pakistan's national airline flies to most of the countries struggling with the SARS outbreak.

U.S. Traveler Further Examined After SARS Scare

A man who showed symptoms of SARS was examined at a hospital after being taken off a flight that was bound for Minneapolis from San Francisco.

Health officials said the man does not have SARS. But he was taken to San Mateo Medical Center for further evaluation.

An airport spokesman said the man was returning from the Philippines with his wife and son.

The Northwest Airlines flight had left the gate at San Francisco International, but returned because of the passenger's symptoms. During a two-hour delay, the plane's 170 passengers remained aboard while the man was given a preliminary exam.

The plane was then cleared to take off, and the man was given permission to travel as well, but he was taken to the hospital instead.

*The number of SARS cases in the United States reflects probable cases only.