New travel alerts as SARS world death toll passes 500

THE global death toll from SARS passed 500 yesterday after China reported five more deaths from an illness the government is trying desperately to stop spreading out of control in the countryside.

The Health Ministry said 146 more people had been infected, taking the number of cases to 4,698, the bulk of the world's total, while deaths totalled 224.

Shanghai, China's commercial capital, reported its first death due to Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome yesterday.