WHO hunts for clues in bid to solve virus riddle

A WORLD Health Organisation (WHO) team hunted for clues in southern China, the origin of a global virus outbreak yesterday, as Thailand vowed to quarantine planeloads of tourists if anyone on board displayed symptoms.

In Hong Kong, which now has the largest number of reported daily cases of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS), more children and school staff were diagnosed with the disease and schools remained closed.

The government announced 26 new infections yesterday, bringing the total to 734. One more person died, raising the death toll to 17.