SARS death toll climbs

news.com.au April 07, 2003

MORE deaths from SARS n Canada and Hong Kong at the weekend have provided a gloomy backdrop to efforts to find a cure for the mystery killer disease.

As the first suspected case of infection by the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) virus was detected in Kuwait and a fifth in Britain, World Health Organisation (WHO) experts pursued the search for the cause of the illness in the epidemic's epicentre, southern China.

The illness also claimed another high profile victim with the death of Interntational Labour Organisation (ILO) official, Pekka Aro, announced at a Chinese health ministry press conference in Beijing. He was the highest profile casualty of the outbreak since WHO expert Carlo Urbani – who first identified the disease – died in Bangkok last month.

Aro, from Finland, was among 19 new cases announced in the capital, bringing the number of deaths in Beijing to four.

At least 51 deaths from SARS have been reported in China and 1,247 people have been infected, according to official figures released on Sunday.