Taipei, July 05: The UN health agency today declared that SARS was no longer spreading in the world's last hotspot, Taiwan - closing a chapter in a battle with the often-deadly virus that ravaged Asia and infected thousands across the globe. "Today is a milestone," said Dr Gro Harlem Brundtland, the WHO's director-general, as she announced the news.

But as the World Health Organization scratched off Taiwan from its list of SARS-infected areas, the group warned that the mysterious illness could make a comeback.

"One single case can spark a new outbreak," Brundtland said.

SARS was believed to have originated in southern China, where the first known cases began appearing last November. From China, experts believe the flu-like illness jumped to Hong Kong, Vietnam and Singapore.

The highly contagious bug eventually traveled as far as South Africa and Canada, killing more than 800 people worldwide and infecting at least 8,400.
Initially, Taiwan had great success fending off SARS. Officials grew confident that they had whipped the virus as the death tolls continued to climb in China, Hong Kong and Singapore.

But in late April, the virus exploited weaknesses at Taiwanese hospitals, which failed to properly diagnose and isolate infected patients. SARS quickly spread in the capital, Taipei, and the deaths began accumulating.
Bureau Report