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| Canada reacts to SARS outbreak |
| CCTV.COM 2003-05-28 13:05:47 |
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According to Canadian health officials, hundreds more Canadians were told to quarantine themselves at home on Tuesday due to possible exposure to a new cluster of SARS cases in Toronto.
The nine probable cases and 23 suspected cases of SARS identified last week put Toronto back on a WHO list of SARS－affected areas. Three more probable cases from the initial Toronto outbreak also remained hospitalized.
Canadian health authorities scrambled to limit any further spread while investigating how the new cases slipped through monitoring and reaction systems designed to halt the spread of SARS.
In response to the new cases, health authorities re－imposed strict controls on Toronto－area hospitals. Hospitals where the new cases were found are closed to new patients and there will be limited access to emergency rooms in all others. Staff are required to wear protective masks and gowns and to take the body temperature of anyone entering.
Some in the Canadian health community have said a broader－based national health monitoring and protection agency is necessary to keep the population safe from infectious diseases.
The overall death toll in the Toronto area now is 27 among about 150 cases. The new cluster is believed to come from an elderly patient whose case dates from April 19th.
The outbreak prompted the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to issue a travel alert for Canada last week.
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Editor: Xiao Wei CCTV.com
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