27 March 2003
WHO is today recommending
new measures, related to international travel, aimed at reducing the
risk of further international spread of severe acute respiratory
syndrome (SARS).
The recommended measures include screening of air
passengers departing from a small number of affected areas on
flights to another country. The affected areas, where transmission
of the SARS infectious agent is known to be spreading in a
human-to-human chain, are kept under constant review and posted each
day on the WHO web site. At present, only four countries are
concerned. ( see
affected areas )
No additional precautions for the screening of
departing passengers at airports in any other parts of the world are
called for in today’s recommendations.
The screening measures, recommended for consideration
by national health officials and port authorities, involve an
interview with passengers, departing from a limited number of areas,
to detect illness with symptoms that give reason to suspect that a
passenger may be infected with SARS.
National authorities may wish to advise travellers
with fever, departing on international flights from the few areas
where SARS transmission has been documented, to postpone travel
until they feel better. All international travellers should be aware
of the symptoms of SARS and seek immediate medical attention should
symptoms occur. Clinicians
hold virtual conference on management of SARS patients
Since global surveillance of SARS began at the end of
February, some evidence suggests that a small number of suspected
and probable cases of SARS have departed from the small number of
affected countries on flights to other countries.
Most cases continue to occur in persons in close
face-to-face contact with SARS patients. Close face-to-face contact
could conceivably occur in an aircraft among persons seated close to
a person infected with SARS and coughing or sneezing.
WHO has also issued detailed recommendations to
airlines on steps to take should a suspected case of SARS be
detected in flight. The WHO recommendations include advice on
step-by-step procedures for following up fellow passengers on the
flight who may have had close contact with the possible case and the
specific advice that should be given to these travellers and their
families.
WHO recommends that contacts of a person be allowed to
continue to travel so long as they do not have symptoms compatible
with SARS.
The WHO case definition, which is being widely used
for surveillance purposes, is posted at the WHO web site and is kept
under constant review. Case
Definitions for Surveillance of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome
(SARS)
Many national health authorities have also issued
SARS-related advice to international travellers.
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