SARS threat could be over 'within months'

The SARS threat could be over within months, but countries must remain vigilant to prevent the disease from resurfacing and combat other possible future epidemics, World Health Organisation officials said today.

“We’re hoping in the next few months we’ll be in a position to say that the box is now closed,” said Dr Mark Salter, a member of WHO’s communicable disease surveillance and response unit. “If the disease rears its head again, we need to have the information at our fingertips to thrust it back again.”

Scientists still need to study if animals can be a source of reinfection of SARS for humans, Salter said, adding that such lessons could help countries “develop the capacity to deal with any new infectious diseases in coming years.”

WHO Director-General Gro Harlem Brundtland will head around 1,000 scientists, government officials, observers and journalists who are expected to attend the two-day WHO conference starting in the Malaysian capital Kuala Lumpur tomorrow.

Hard-hit regions including mainland China, Hong Kong and Canada will discuss their responses to SARS, and the conference will also review scientific findings, control strategies, psychological aspects of the disease and the possible role of animals in the outbreak.

Severe acute respiratory syndrome has killed about 800 people and sickened more than 8,400 since it was first detected in southern China late last year.

New SARS infections have dropped in recent weeks and deaths have become sporadic, following weeks of strict screening and Who warnings against travel.