Monday, June 16, 2003

Oficials gather in Malaysia for WHO conference on SARS

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AP) - Scientists and health officials gathered Monday in Malaysia for a conference to assess the global response to SARS and consider ways to minimize deaths from future outbreaks.

Ahead of the conference's official opening Tuesday, World Health Organization officials warned that countries should not become complacent about SARS despite signs it is being brought under control, and said better systems to deal with future outbreaks were still needed, especially in Asia.

"We have to strengthen the capacity in Asian countries to respond to outbreaks like this,'' Dr. Hitoshi Oshitani, WHO's adviser on communicable diseases for the western Pacific region.

"We still have room for improvement,'' he said, citing surveillance, response mechanisms and human resources as areas wanting.

Around 1,000 scientists, government officials, observers and journalists were expected to attend WHO's two-day Global Conference on SARS: Where Do We Go From Here?

The conference, to be attended by WHO Director-General Gro Harlem Brundtland, was expected to hear from hard-hit regions how they responded to the outbreak, review scientific findings on the flu-like disease and discuss strategies to control its spread.

SARS has killed almost 800 people and sickened more than 8,400 since it was first detected in southern China late last year.

The vast majority of cases have been in mainland China, Hong Kong and Taiwan, though Vietnam, Singapore and a handful of other Asian countries also reported deaths. Canada, with 33 SARS deaths and 238 cases, is the hardest-hit country outside Asia.

New SARS infections have dropped in recent weeks and deaths have become sporadic, following weeks of strict screening measures and WHO warnings against travel.

Plummeting travel rates because of SARS have damaged economies across Asia. - AP

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Oficials gather in Malaysia for WHO conference on SARS