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HK breathes easier on SARS news
HONG KONG, China (CNN) -- Hong Kong has reported its lowest number of new SARS cases since mid-March -- an indication the Chinese territory may have seen the worst of the viral outbreak. Eight new cases were reported Sunday along with five deaths from the disease. There have been a total of 1,629 cases in the former British colony while 184 people have died from SARS. Sunday's announcement comes amid fears mutations of the virus and relapses among patients could complicate efforts to develop a diagnosis and vaccine. Hong Kong scientists say there have been two forms of SARS present in the territory and more research is being done to determine if the virus has become more infectious or deadly. Meanwhile, 10 crew members from a Malaysian ship who were rushed to a Hong Kong hospital on Sunday after the vessel made an emergency stop in the territory, have been discharged and sent back to the boat. A spokesman for the Department of Health said that the quarantine order for all 24 crew members had been lifted. Across the border in mainland China, the situation remained bleak. Elementary and primary schools in Beijing were ordered to remain closed for a further two weeks as the outbreak of the deadly SARS virus there shows no signs of easing. Schools have been shut in the city for the past fortnight. The communist nation reported seven new deaths from the disease and 163 new cases on Sunday -- 69 of them in Beijing. Four of the deaths occurred in the Chinese capital. That brings the total SARS toll in China to almost 200 while more than 4,100 have been infected in the country of more than one billion people. The outbreak has hit China hard, forcing the cancellation of the week-long May Day holiday, forcing the postponement or abandonment of sporting, business and cultural events and has turned Beijing into a virtual ghost town. More than 10,000 people in the capital city of 14 million are now under quarantine and numbers of new SARS cases there have been at least 50 a day in the past week. On Saturday, organizers of the women's football World Cup in September said they have moved the event from China to another, unnamed country due to SARS fears. In other developments: • The World Health Organization has sent a team to Taiwan to investigate a sharp rise in probable SARS cases of severe acute respiratory syndrome. Taiwan says it now has at least 100 probable cases -- almost triple the number reported 10 days earlier. At least eight people on the island have died of SARS. • Singaporean authorities have arrested a man who repeatedly flouted home quarantine. The man, who skipped quarantine and went out drinking on two occasions, was jailed in isolation on Friday. Singapore has put in place strict control measures and has recorded 25 deaths out of 203 cases. • A Qantas Airways flight attendant has been placed in isolation in a Sydney hospital and is being treated as a probable SARS case, after a flight from Singapore. The woman flew from Singapore to Sydney and all passengers and crew on board flight QF 32, which landed on April 27, are being contacted.
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