Travel advisory on Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome During a week in early March, the World Health Organization (WHO) has received reports of more than 200 suspected cases of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS), an atypical pneumonia for which cause has now been determined to be a novel coronavirus. Due to the occurrence of SARS in several countries in a short period of time, the WHO on 15 Mar 2003 has issued an emergency guidance for travellers and airlines, and recently updated to as : All out-bound and in-bound travellers should be aware of main symptoms and signs of SARS which include:     high fever (>38oC) AND one or more respiratory symptoms including cough, shortness of breath, difficulty breathing AND close contact* with a person who has been diagnosed with SARS, OR have a recent history of travel to areas reporting cases of SARS. * close contact means having cared for, having lived with, or having had direct contact with respiratory secretions and body fluids of a person with SARS.     In addition to fever and respiratory symptoms, SARS may be associated with other symptoms including: headache, muscular stiffness, loss of appetite, malaise, confusion, rash, and diarrhea. Travellers who experience these symptoms and who have been in an area where there has been recent local transmission of SARS in the last 10 days are advised to contact a doctor. To further reduce the risk that travellers may carry the SARS virus to new areas, international travellers departing from areas with recent local transmission of SARS should be screened for possible SARS at the point of departure. Such screening involves answering two or three questions and may include a temperature check. Travellers with one or more symptoms of SARS and who have a history of exposure or who have fever or who appear acutely ill should be assessed by a health care worker and may be advised to postpone their trip until they have recovered. As WHO has removed Toronto and Taiwan from its list of areas with recent local transmission of SARS on July 2 and July 5 respectively, there was no area on the list anymore. Wearing of masks by well persons who are travelling from an area with recent local transmission of SARS is not recommended by WHO. Contacts of probable case should not undertake travel until 10 days after the last contact assuming they themselves remain well. Should, despite the advice above, they travel to another country, they should be placed in voluntary isolation and kept under active surveillance by the health authorities in the country of arrival. Any sick passenger identified during flight would on arrival be referred to airport health authorities. Other fellow passengers and crew on the aircraft should provide all contact details for the subsequent 14 days to the airport health authorities. Well persons who are symptom free and have not been in close contact of suspected SARS cases require no special measures and should be free to carry out normal activities. It is prudent for tourists to adopt the following precautionary measures to prevent atypical pneumonia including SARS: Build up good body immunity by having a proper diet, regular exercise and adequate rest, reducing stress and avoiding smoking. Maintain good personal hygiene, and wash hands after sneezing, coughing or cleaning the nose. Avoid touching the eyes, nose and mouth. If necessary, wash hands before touching them. Maintain good ventilation. Avoid visiting crowded places with poor ventilation. Do not share towels or eating utensils. Consult a doctor promptly if you develop respiratory symptoms. As of 5 July, the World Health Organization had removed Taiwan from its list of areas with recent local transmission of SARS, the last one on the list. This achievement means that all known chains of person-to-person transmission of the SARS virus have now been broken. All recommendations to postpone travel have now been lifted. Recommendations for the screening of departing passengers have now ceased to apply as there are no longer any areas with recent local transmission of SARS. However, Hong Kong will continue to screen travelers for SARS to save guard the health of the public. For further information, you may Browse the Department of Health's website at http://www.dh.gov.hk/; Call the SARS hotline at 187 2222; Call the Central Health Education Unit's 24-hour Health Education Hotline at 2833 0111 (choose language, then press 1). Port Health Office Department of Health 8 July 2003