QUARANTINE measures appear to be paying off in Hong Kong’s fight against SARS and its leader voiced growing confidence about beating the disease. But experts said yesterday it’s unclear when the crisis will end.

Malaysia stopped issuing entry visas to most Chinese travellers to curb severe acute respiratory syndrome while Hong Kong today cautiously prepared to let more than 200 people go home from quarantine camps after they showed no signs of the deadly infection.

Deaths worldwide from severe acute respiratory syndrome reached at least 100 today, as the main casualty China revealed that fatalities have been much more widespread than it had previously reported.

Hong Kong’s hospitals may be unable to cope with new cases of a deadly mystery disease coming in daily, the legislature’s medical representative said today - but he predicted that the illness could be contained in two to three weeks.