The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention re-instated a travel alert for Toronto, Canada after new suspected cases of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome were reported there.
Canadian officials say two recent deaths in a Toronto hospital may have been caused by SARS. Late Friday they also reported a new cluster of 20 more possible cases. The CDC says people visiting Toronto should monitor their health while there and for at least 10 days afterward.
The new alert comes two days after the CDC lifted its original alert for Toronto. It also comes hours after the World Health Organization lifted travel warnings for Hong Kong and neighboring Guangdong province in China.
The organization credited the efforts of local health authorities with containing the virus in Hong Kong and Guangdong. But in Taiwan, another 55 cases of SARS were reported Friday, after a record 65 new cases the day before.
Meanwhile, researchers in Hong Kong have found evidence of the SARS virus in three types of small mammals, including the civet cat which is eaten by some Chinese. Experts say people may have been infected as they handled the animals or slaughtered them for cooking.
But health officials say it is possible that the animals could have acquired the virus from humans, or that the virus could have jumped to humans from different species of animals. (voa)
