Geneva, June 13: The World Health Organisation (WHO) today lifted a travel warning imposed on four Chinese regions due to the deadly SARS virus, but retained advisories against visiting Beijing and Taiwan because the disease is not yet under control there. It also warned that health authorities around the world must not drop their guard against the disease, following its resurgence in Canada.
"Effective today the World Health Organisation is removing its recommendation that people should postpone all but essential travel to Hebei, Inner Mongolia, Shanxi and Tianjin regions in China," a WHO statement said. The recommendations to postpone non-essential travel to the four regions were issued on April 23 and May 8.
"WHO is changing this recommendation as the situation in these areas has now improved significantly," the statement said. Information about the decline of outbreaks was carefully reviewed by WHO and "suggests that SARS is no longer a potential threat to international travellers to these regions."
Since it first started spreading in China's southern Guangdong province last November, Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) has killed 750 people and infected more than 8,400 worldwide, according to figures from the WHO.
The WHO did not upgrade its travel advice for Canada, despite concern about the resurgence of SARS there, spokesman Iain Simpson said. Bureau Report