Six detained in SARS crackdown

News.com.au 06Apr03

SIX airline passengers have been detained for medical assessment at Australian airports over the last 24 hours under tough new quarantine measures announced in response to the SARS epidemic. In a statement, Chief Commonwealth Medical Officer Richard Smallwood said four of the passengers landed at Perth Airport.

All four were cleared of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) after being assessed by nurses based at the airport.

The other two were also cleared after a checkup by on-site medical staff at Sydney Airport.

One of them was referred by the airline and the second was stopped by customs officers, Professor Smallwood said.

The latest figures bring to 14 the number of people who have been identified for medical assessment at airports since the new quarantine clearance measures were announced on Friday.

All cases have been cleared.

However, four people remain under investigation for the deadly pneumonia-like illness in Victoria.

The four under investigation include three children from the same family from Canada and a two-year-old girl from Vietnam.

A temporary resident in NSW who has since recovered is believed to have been Australia's only confirmed case of the illness, which has killed 89 people and infected 2,500 worldwide since spreading from southern China.

Meanwhile, the health department's SARS hotline had received more than 10,000 calls since it was established eight days ago, Prof Smallwood said.

This report appears on news.com.au.