Wellington, Mar 31: With hundreds of New Zealand sports fans due back home from a rugby tournament in Hong Kong, the government moved today to counter the threat of an outbreak of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS). Hong Kong has been worst hit by the deadly pneumonia virus sweeping the world, accounting for about one-third of the 1,600 verified cases. Health minister Annette King said although no cases have been reported in New Zealand, it was inevitable the illness would reach the country.
The New Zealand cabinet agreed at its weekly meeting to add SARS to the schedule of notifiable diseases, which gives health authorities powers to quarantine sufferers and their contacts. Currently, suspected sufferers would have to volunteer to be isolated.
King said the health ministry was monitoring actions by affected countries in Asia and airlines had been alerted to watch for symptoms among fans returning from the Hong Kong rugby tournament. Bureau Report