This follows reports of patients violating quarantine and hiding symptoms; first case of the virus in the UK; World Health Organization: Conduct tests to detect the virus among blood and organ donors
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China announced yesterday that it will execute or impose heavy prison sentences on those who spread the atypical pneumonia virus (SARS) intentionally. China is the largest epicenter of the SARS epidemic in the world.
So far, 271 people have died from the disease, and about 5,100 people have been infected with it. The announcement, made by China's official news agency, came after reports were received that many people are violating the quarantine imposed on them, or trying to hide the symptoms of the disease that have appeared in their bodies. "Spreading viruses that cause infectious diseases intentionally endangers public safety... and the punishment will be from 10 years in prison to life imprisonment or the death penalty," the statement said.
The first case of the SARS virus has been detected in Britain. Health officials in the country said that the patient who contracted the disease has recovered and has not infected anyone. The World Health Organization is calling for tests to detect the SARS virus in blood or organ donors. The number of deaths from SARS in the world rose to 602 yesterday, after Hong Kong reported seven deaths in the past 24 hours. Four cases were reported from China and three from Taiwan.
The director of the International Aviation Organization in Asia, Andrew Drysdale, said that the airlines have lost 10 billion dollars so far as a result of the spread of the epidemic.
An Israeli-Palestinian committee will fight the epidemic
The World Health Organization announced Tuesday evening that the city of Toronto, Canada, and its surrounding area are no longer considered a risk area for SARS infection. The organization also removed Toronto from the list of infected areas. The decision was made 20 days after the last local case of infection was diagnosed in Toronto. The last patient was placed in isolation in the city on April 20. On April 23, the World Health Organization issued a warning to visitors to Toronto. This warning was also lifted a few days later.
Advertisement The number of SARS cases in China rose to more than 5,000 this week. Eight deaths and 23 new patients were reported in Taiwan. The deaths in Taiwan - along with the deaths of 12 people in China and three in Hong Kong - brought the death toll from the disease to 559. Despite the decline in the infection rate in some parts of China, yesterday's announcement of 75 more patients brings the number of SARS patients in the country to 5,013.
The Civil Administration in the Territories recently established a joint Israeli-Palestinian committee on the SARS epidemic. The committee includes senior members of the Israeli Ministry of Health and the Palestinian Ministry. A week ago, a first meeting was held between senior officials in the ministries, and they discussed ways to cooperate in identifying the disease, preventing it and treating patients whether they are in Israel or in the territories.
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