Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
Singapore (Fides Service) – Ian Simpson, spokesman of the World health Organisation (WHO) headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland, has confirmed the suspected case of SARS Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome. However he also says that the tests carried out reveal that the virus is different.
Singapore authorities say that although the case appears to be isolated, 25 people who have had contact with the infected person have been put in quarantine. The young man concerned works in a virology laboratory at Singapore University but he was not working on SARS. In the means time the head of the WHO Lee Dong-Wook has warmed not to undervalue the risk of a new outbreak of SARS and called on experts to be vigilant. On May 31 WHO removed Singapore from the list of countries infected by SARS. After the 206 cases registered in the small city-state, since May 11, no new cases were reported. AP (Fides Service 10/9/2003 EM lines 17 Words: 189)
