WHO sees SARS slowing, but new cases reported

A WHO expert said yesterday the course of the deadly SARS appeared to be slowing at its source in southern China, while Hong Kong reported a spate of new cases of the mystery virus that has caused a global health scare.

Two more people died in Singapore of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS), days after the city-state showed signs of success in subduing the virus that has killed 100 people worldwide and infected more than 2,600.

The Hong Kong government said yesterday SARS had infected 41 more people, bringing the total number of cases to 883, and hospitals were bracing for a possible tripling of cases.

The pneumonia-like disease, which originated in China's Guangdong province, hit neighbouring Hong Kong in March and has been spread around the world by air travellers.

Robert Breiman, head of a World Health Organisation team investigating the outbreak in Guangdong, said yesterday the number of SARS cases was slowing in the province and the virus was showing signs it might be weakening.

"It does look like the disease rates are dropping - dropping quite a bit," he told Reuters in a telephone interview.

"The problem isn't extinguished, which would be the nice place to get to. But it's occurring in lower frequency, lower incidence than it was during the peak time in February," he said.

"We're still not ruling out the possibility that the virus itself could become burned out and become less and less transmittable," Breiman said.

Some experts have suggested the SARS virus came from animals and mutated, then jumped to humans, but the team in Guangdong saw no evidence supporting that theory, he said.

The deadly virus has spread to 20 countries, slashing tourism, cancelling events, closing schools and prompting economists to trim growth forecasts for parts of Asia.