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London (pte012/30.04.2003/10:43) - The World Health Organization (WHO) http://who.int lifted its SARS-related travel warning for Toronto today, Wednesday. The organisation has said it is pleased with the measures taken to stop the spread of the disease in the country.
Canada had protested against the warning issued by the WHO last week; and Canadian authorities have since introduced a screening measure in airports. According to the WHO, a total of 20 people have died of SARS in Canada up to now.
WHO general director Gro Harlem Brundtland said that the warning had been lifted because the number of potential SARS cases in Canada had decreased, there had been no new cases and the disease had not been carried out of the country.
The WHO continues to warn against unnecessary trips to Hong Kong, Peking and the Chinese provinces Guangdong and Shanxi. After initially playing down the urgency of the situation, the Chinese government has officially admitted that the SARS epidemic will be around for some time. Mayor of Peking Wang Qishan, replacing dismissed mayor Meng Xuenong, has called the situation in the city "serious".
The media have reported that Peking hospitals are not prepared for the increasing number of SARS patients: There is a shortage of beds, making it more difficult to contain the disease, as well as a shortage of medical personnel specialising in respiratory illnesses. The WHO has also called the Peking health system poorly financed and unable to handle such an epidemic.
Peking has the highest number of SARS cases in China. Yesterday the city registered 152 new cases, bringing the total number to 1,347. The number of SARS-related deaths has risen to 66. (newsfox-special SARS)
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