Taiwan denies reports of re-emergence of SARS

Taiwan’s health authorities denied on Wednesday domestic media reports that a man who died last week had tested positive for SARS.

The Chinese-language China Times reported that a businessman who had recently returned from China was suspected to have died from Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome and one of his sons had since been hospitalised with similar symptoms.

“We officially deny the reports. We have many people travelling between Taiwan and China every day and some of them came back with fever,” Chou Chih-hao, Department of Health spokesman, said by telephone.

The department of health said the man, who died on Saturday, had probably succumbed to pneumonia and that while his son was also likely suffering from the illness, his condition had already improved.

“But no-one had tested positive for SARS and we think the chances of re-emergence of SARS are extremely small,” Chou said.

Taiwan saw the world’s third-worst outbreak of SARS, which originated in China and killed nearly 800 people worldwide.

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