*EPF412 06/05/2003
CDC Eases SARS-Related Travel Cautions for Singapore, Hong Kong
(Health agency cites strong efforts to contain disease spread) (410)

By Charlene Porter
Washington File Staff Writer

Washington -- The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has eased previously issued cautions about travel in Hong Kong and Singapore, based upon progress made by both areas to contain the spread of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS).

In Singapore, more than 30 days -- or three SARS incubation periods -- have passed since the onset of the last case, and in response, CDC announced June 4 that it has removed a travel alert for the area. A travel alert urges travelers to be aware of the presence of infectious disease in a given place, and suggests they avoid venturing into areas where risk of exposure might be high, such as health care facilities.

At the same time, CDC downgraded its cautionary public message directed toward travelers heading to Hong Kong. CDC had previously issued its strongest warning -- a travel advisory -- for the special administrative region of China suggesting that nonessential trips there be avoided.

In the June 4 announcement, CDC noted several developments that justified a change to the lower level of caution, the travel alert: transmission in Hong Kong has been limited to a small number of specific settings without evidence of broader spreading through the community; the cases that are being reported can be traced to their source; more than 20 days have passed since the appearance of a case whose source was unknown; Hong Kong health authorities are on the lookout and say that there are no new outbreaks of disease in the community at large.

SARS-related precautionary messages for travelers remain in place for some areas. CDC still cautions people visiting Toronto, Canada, on the presence of disease. The Atlanta-based health agency also advises against nonessential travel to mainland China and Taiwan.

Like the CDC, the World Health Organization (WHO) is maintaining its most serious travel warnings for China. But in a June 5 update on the SARS outbreak, the WHO reports a slowdown in the pace of the disease worldwide, with only 6 new cases reported that day. The previous day passed without report of a single new case, WHO said. That was a first since March, when international health authorities raised alarm about the highly contagious and sometimes fatal viral disease.

WHO's global tally on SARS cases now stands at 8403 with 775 deaths. The previously unknown disease has appeared in 29 countries.

(The Washington File is a product of the Bureau of International Information Programs, U.S. Department of State. Web site: http://usinfo.state.gov)

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