'Not likely' NZ man has Sars

11.30am - by REBECCA WALSH and NZPA

A 65-year-old man admitted to Palmerston North Hospital after fears he had contracted Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (Sars) has been discharged this morning.

The Manawatu man returned from a trip to China and Hong Kong about a week ago. He was admitted to hospital on Friday after suffering a high temperature, respiratory problems and shortness of breath.

"It's not likely now that he has got it," Midcentral Health District spokesman Scott Crowley said today.

"The symptoms he was showing on Friday are now disappearing and he seems fine."

Although doctors were confident the man's condition was improving they could not rule out the possibility of Sars, Mr Crowley said.

"As more days go past he's outside that period that seems to be the incubation period for it."

The man lived alone and over the next few days staff from the hospital's public health unit would make regular visits to check his condition.

Mr Crowley said the man had been in isolation in a general ward of the hospital. He had been cared for by one nurse who wore full isolation gear, including masks, gloves and clothing.

Residents living in his area had been contacted over the weekend and given information about Sars. The man's family had also been contacted.

Mr Crowley said the hospital was pleased with how the case had been handled.

"We are very happy with how it went. Everything went to plan."

The Ministry of Health said the risk of an infected person showing no symptoms spreading the virus in the incubation period of two to 10 days was low.

People were most infectious when they became visibly ill with Sars and showed all the symptoms, the ministry said.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) declared Sars a global threat to health a month ago.

In its latest update on the virus WHO said 2781 Sars cases with 111 deaths, had been reported from 17 countries on three continents.

The hot zones of concern were China, Canada, Hong Kong, Vietnam and Singapore.

The WHO said public health authorities, physicians and scientists around the world were struggling to cope with the severe and rapidly spreading new disease which appeared to be the first severe and easily transmissible new disease to emerge in the 21st century.

Hong Kong authorities have ordered all household contacts of confirmed Sars patients to stay at home in quarantine for up to 10 days.

In New Zealand the Ministry of Health has set up a 24-hour hotline (0800 0800 80).

Nurses will also be stationed at New Zealand airports and the ministry has advised people against non-essential travel to the affected countries.