Global Battle Against Sars Panic

The World Health Organisation yesterday strongly advised people not to travel to Beijing and the Chinese province of Shanxi, or to Toronto, in a dramatic escalation of the global battle to control the spead of the Sars virus.

The British government immediately endorsed the new measures, despite Foreign Office insistence until now that the threat of infection in Toronto remained low, as the Tories accused it of maintaining a "lethal silence" on the threat to Britain.

More than 250 people have died among nearly 4,300 infected worldwide . The disease has now struck 25 countries in five continents with a number taking drastic quarantine measures.

Chinese authorities yesterday closed schools in Beijing as China's death toll climbed to 105. In Australia, where just four cases have been reported, the New South Wales state government said it would fine or jail for up to six months anyone who refused treatment.

Hong Kong and Guangdong in southern China - where Sars, or severe acute respiratory syndrome, first made its appearance last November - have been under WHO health warnings against all but essential travel for three weeks, twice what is thought to be the maximum incubation period for the disease.

David Heymann, executive director of communicable diseases at the WHO, said the organisation was working hard to make sure the disease did not take root in these cities. "This is a very serious disease with a death rate now of about 5%."

The latest restrictions will reinforce gloom over economic slowdown as business and the tourism and travel industries all become blighted. The WHO plans an international summit of scientists to combat the disease in Geneva in June, although a network of research laboratories are already working round the clock to devise tests and treatments.

Officials in Canada, where there have been 15 deaths and more than 320 probable or suspected cases, have questioned the certainty of scientists who believe they have correctly identified the Sars culprit as a coronavirus related to one of the most common causes of colds.

There are already fears that the virus might be changing into a more virulent form. The WHO said it had been reviewing evidence from the Chinese government over the magnitude of the outbreak, "including both the number of prevalent cases and the daily number of new cases, the extent of local chains of transmission, and evidence that travellers are becoming infected in one area and subsequently exporting the disease elsewhere."

In Toronto, "the outbreak has continued to grow and has affected groups outside the initial risk groups of hospital workers, families, and other person-to-person contacts. In addition, a small number of persons with Sars, now in other countries of the world, appear to have acquired the infection while in Toronto."

Here, the government's chief medical officer, Sir Liam Donaldson, last night insisted that health services "remain vigilant" over Sars. The six probable cases that had occurred in the UK had been promptly identified and cared for.

"This is the correct approach at the present time and expert advice does not recommend mass quarantining of travellers returning from the Far East or Canada."

He added: "The way Sars will progress is not predictable, so if there is any change in the situation here, we will not hesitate to take any necessary further action."

The Conservatives raised the political temperature by accusing ministers and senior health officials of complacency. They suggested thousands of foreign and holidaying students returning to schools and universities from affected areas ought to have been quarantined. Liam Fox, Tory health spokesman, said the government should have issued clear advice that such students should be isolated for 10 days rather than rely on screening at airports in Asia and twice-a-day health checks.

He added: "The experience in Canada shows what can happen if an outbreak occurs in a major western city."

Schools and colleges have taken a variety of precautions. Some, such as Eton, are refusing to take back those who have been to affected areas within the last 10 days. Harrogate Ladies' College put 42 pupils into isolation.

Among universities, Portsmouth and Leeds suggested students should come home from overseas earlier than planned, "to enable them to avoid crowded places for three days after returning to the UK".

There was criticism, too, from Patrick Dixon, an expert on global trends. "This is potentially a far more serious epidemic than Aids", said Dr Dixon of the London Business School.

"Unless the virus spontaneously mutates into a less serious form, the only hope we have is to mount an immediate aggressive global response at the highest levels against Sars, something we've not yet seen.

"If things continue as they are, then a pandemic is surely only a matter of time."