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SARS reappears in Toronto
   CCTV.COM   2003-05-25 16:05:45   
    Health officials in Canada said on Saturday they were monitoring 33 people for SARS in Toronto, with another 500 in quarantine, and warned that the number of suspected cases could grow in the coming days.

    The number of suspected SARS cases in Toronto, up from 25 on Friday, has put hospital emergency rooms on high alert and nurses are again wearing full-face masks and double gloves to protect themselves.

    "In the present reappearance of these individuals under investigation. Call them, if you want, suspect cases of SARS, we do not yet have that link. However, that being said, our investigation of that link continues, and if there is a link, and these cases really are SARS, we intend to find that link," said Dr. Colin D Cunha with Ontario's Public Health Commissioner.

    Despite being unable to trace the suspected new cases to known cases, officials said they believed the connection existed and that there was no danger to the general public of an uncontrolled outbreak.

    "We won't expect the same sort of numbers that we saw in March and we should still have the perspective that it's a bump on the road, but the end of the road is still in sight," said Dr. Richard Schabas, public health expert.

    Toronto was removed from the World Health Organization's list of SARS-affected areas earlier this month when more than 20 days -- twice the length of the SARS incubation period -- had passed since the last known case was reported on April 19. Most worry that another WHO travel advisory could send an economic recovery into a tailspin.

    The new possible cases, along with the discovery of mad cow disease in Alberta, is sending shock waves through the economy of Toronto and Canada.


Editor: Han Ling  CCTV.com


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