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First SARS case baffles experts
FOSHAN, China (CNN) -- A WHO official says the man first diagnosed with a mystery virus did not spread the disease to his immediate family, a finding that has baffled medical experts. The investigation into the deadly Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome comes as another WHO official said the worst may be over for Singapore, and the badly-hit area of Hong Kong searches for dozens of families who have missed an isolation order. More than 2,387 people have been infected with the disease, which has been dubbed SARS and has so far killed 79 around the world. A team of WHO experts are in Foshan, a city in Guangdong province, to nail down the source of the outbreak, where the highly infectious virus was first discovered. Officials have been trying to get access to the epicenter of the disease in south China since the WHO first put out a global alert It was only in the last few days the Chinese government allowed WHO officials to visit the region, which has a history of unusual viral outbreaks that can be traced back to animals. But even as officials honed in on the first person believed to have contracted the illness, early findings show the little-understood virus may be hard to pinpoint and more complex than first thought. "This is going to be a tricky task because this particular individual apparently infected four people, but did not infect his four grown-up children who live with him," said Chris Powell, a WHO spokesman on Friday. Local efforts to warn the citizens of Guangdong have been successful, Powell said, noting a fall in the number of recent SARS cases there. After days of global criticism about the country's response, a Chinese medical official apologized Friday for "poor coordination" in informing the public about SARS. Li Liming, director of the Chinese Center for Disease Control, told a press conference China could have done better, The Associated Press reported. In neighboring Hong Kong, which has closed schools and quarantined hundreds, authorities said on Friday another 27 people contracted SARS, bringing the total number of infections to 761. Police in the city are still tracking down 58 families who moved out of one block of a housing estate, where hundreds fell ill to the disease, before an isolation order took effect. The task force has so far contacted 55 families, but there are concerns those who have not been in touch with the health department could be spreading the disease. The virus has so far spread to 15 countries, including the United States, mostly by air travel. Fearful of its rapid spread, the U.S. State Department has authorized departure for nonessential personnel and their families in China. It is a voluntary measure for diplomats and their families, who have been given free flights out of the country. The U.S. military has also banned its personnel from traveling to Hong Kong and mainland China although no one in the United States has died from the disease. In some positive news, a WHO scientist David Mansoor said the Singapore outbreak "is almost certainly over," but one to two weeks were needed before it could know for sure. Five people have died and 100 have been infected in recent weeks in the city state, which has shut all schools and quarantined hundreds.
Singapore's health ministry officials said nearly all infections have been traced to Esther Mok, a former air stewardess, who caught the virus during a stay at a Hong Kong hotel in February. In other developments: • Australian health officials report three children who arrived from Canada may have contracted SARS. • Hong Kong airport officials say airlines have canceled 18 percent of flights into and out of the territory after a WHO warning. • Japan reports three possible new cases, bringing its total to 17. The U.S. Navy's Seventh Fleet, south of Tokyo, cancels all but "mission essential" port calls and other travel to China and Hong Kong. • Malaysian health authorities threaten jail terms of up to two years for passengers who fail to declare if they have flu-like symptoms. • Thailand's travel agents says the country's tourism industry faces a sharp decline in revenues and a fall in hotel bookings. • China's financial capital Shanghai confirms a 40-year-old woman was infected with a deadly flu-like virus.
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