Canada under pressure, to fight Taiwan Sars ban

12.00pm

TORONTO - Canada, struggling to persuade the world it is doing enough to curb the spread of SARS, reported one more death from the virus on Sunday (Monday NZT) and said it would fight Taiwan's ban on Canadian visitors.

Canada's Foreign Ministry said Taiwan overreacted by banning visitors from Canada, China, Hong Kong and Singapore in one of the most draconian measures yet seen to curb the virus.

"We believe that this measure is excessive and that it will cause considerable inconvenience to the travelling public, Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Kimberly Phillips said.

"Our officials are taking immediate steps to have this measure withdrawn."

Canada is the only country outside Asia where people have died from the flu-like Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome, and Ontario on Sunday raised the SARS death toll to 21 from 20. The latest victim, a 79-year-old woman, died on Saturday.

CBC Radio One said four more SARS sufferers were critically ill in Toronto and could die soon.

The outbreak is centred around Toronto, Canada's largest city, and one with a large Asian community. The first Canadian SARS death was of a Chinese Canadian who contracted the disease in Hong Kong and passed it to her family. But recent cases have been concentrated in the medical community.

Worldwide, 317 people have died of SARS, including 131 in China and 133 in Hong Kong. The illness, for which there is no known cure, has infected more than 5,200 people in more than 20 countries, including 343 cases in Canada.

Despite Sunday's death, and others over the last few days, Canadian health care officials insist they are on the way to containing the outbreak.

There have been no new cases in Toronto outside the medical community for almost two weeks, although several medical workers were confirmed last week to have SARS despite anti-infection measures including masks, face shields and two layers of gloves.


Canada is contesting an advisory from the World Health Organisation, that also warned travellers away from Hong Kong and parts of China, and says it hopes that warning against Toronto may be lifted.

WHO spokesman Dick Thompson said the organisation would review its advice on Tuesday, but offered no assurances.

"We have received a lot of information from Health Canada and we are reviewing it," Thomson told Reuters. "It is possible we may change it (the warning). It is possible we may not."

In the United States, Dr. Julie Gerberding, director of the Centers for Disease Control in Atlanta, told Fox News Sunday it was safe to visit Toronto.

"The issue is not so much traveling to Canada. It's recognising exposure, and then not travelling if you've been exposed," she said. "I am planning to go there next week."

There is still little evidence of people wearing face masks in Toronto outside hospitals and doctors' offices, and most people appear to be taking the illness in their stride, although shops, restaurants and hotels say business is thin.

Canadian Finance Minister John Manley said an early reversal of the WHO warning could keep economic damage low, although there would be an impact.

Rogers Communications, the owner of Toronto's major league baseball team, the Blue Jays, said it was buying up all unsold tickets for Tuesday's game against the Texas Rangers and would offer them to the public at C$1 (69 cents) apiece.

"This is great for Toronto to show the world that the city is open for business. I am proud to live in such a safe, vibrant and busy city," Blue Jays President Paul Godfrey said in a statement.

Rogers Communications did not say how many tickets remained unsold for the game.

- REUTERS