Nurses on airport duty to advise travellers on Sars

Nurses began work at Auckland and Wellington international airports yesterday, providing information and advice to travellers concerned about severe acute respiratory syndrome (Sars).

In Auckland, more than 30 arriving passengers approached the nurses with questions.

Although some were displaying mild symptoms of illness, none was referred for a further medical examination.

Two nurses will be stationed at Auckland airport at peak arrival times, and at least one nurse will be on duty at all times.

Nurses are expected to be stationed at the Christhcurch international airport from this morning.

The Medical Officer of Health for the Auckland region, Greg Simmons, said the nurses would be at the airports for at least a month and possibly longer, depending on how long concern about Sars remained.

The move is part of a national plan to control the spread of the virus, which has killed at least 154 people and infected 3235 in 22 countries. There have been no confirmed cases of Sars in New Zealand.

In Hong Kong, three babies born prematurely to mothers with Sars are having difficulty breathing and appear to have the deadly illness, says a paediatrician.

Dr Hon Kam-lun said the babies all tested negative for the coronavirus that is believed to be the cause of Sars, but they increasingly resembled Sars cases.

One of the mothers, a 34-year-old, was among nine people whose deaths were reported on Tuesday, Hong Kong's biggest one-day total yet.

The other two mothers are still alive.

The disease has affected 1232 people in Hong Kong and killed at least 56.

A World Health Organisation expert says monkeys experimentally infected with a new coronavirus have developed an illness similar to Sars, and it is now almost certain that the coronavirus causes the disease .

Dr. David L. Heymann, executive director in charge of communicable diseases for WHO, said the agency was 99 per cent sure that Sars was caused by the new coronavirus after the monkey experiments in the Netherlands.

- STAFF REPORTER, NZPA