WHO lifts SARS travel ban to Toronto

GENEVA — Following pressure from the Canadian government, the World Health Organization today lifted its warning against nonessential travel to Toronto, saying it was satisfied with local measures to stop the spread of the deadly SARS virus.

The lifting of the warning takes effect Wednesday, WHO said, adding that it still considered Toronto an “affected area.”

WHO continues to advise against all nonessential travel to Hong Kong, the Chinese capital Beijing and the Chinese provinces of Guangdong and Shanxi.

The decision came after WHO Director-General Gro Harlem Brundtland met with a senior Canadian delegation, which stressed that no new cases of severe acute respiratory syndrome were reported among the community at large for the past 20 days. That is double the length of the incubation period.

Tony Clement, health minister for Ontario province, where Toronto is located, earlier described his delegation as “anticipating and hopeful” following “a great exchange of information” at an hour-long meeting with Brundtland.

WHO on Monday said Canada appeared over the worst of the SARS outbreak that has claimed 21 lives out of more than 140 reported cases in the country.

Most of the cases have been in Toronto hospitals, and health authorities have used quarantine and close monitoring and tracking to try to contain the illness.

Canadian officials were outraged when WHO on Wednesday advised against non-urgent travel to Toronto, ranking it alongside Beijing and other hard hit parts of China and Hong Kong. At the time, WHO said the travel advice would remain valid for at least three weeks — double the maximum incubation period for SARS.

The WHO warning caused an immediate drop in the number of tourists as conferences, concerts and other events were canceled.

Major League Baseball officials advised caution when players visit Toronto, telling teams to avoid crowds, hospitals and public transportation, and use their own pens to sign autographs. A Toronto Dominion Bank report estimated the costs of the SARS outbreak to the Canadian economy could top $1.5 billion.

Mike Ryan, head of WHO’s Global Outbreak Alert and Response Network, defended the original decision to issue the travel warning against Toronto.

“WHO has to take decisions for global public health in 191 member states, not just for one,” he said. “The travel restriction is not meant to be a criticism of Canada,” he said, praising the “excellent response” of authorities there.

A small WHO team is expected to arrive in Toronto on Wednesday to attend an international conference on the disease and see how the city is trying to contain the disease.

“We welcome them with open arms. We want them to see on the ground exactly how our containment efforts are going and why the success is happening, and I believe that will be a positive development,” Clement said.

Health officials are stationed at Canada’s major airports to watch for symptoms of SARS among passengers arriving from SARS hotspots in Asia, where the illness originated. All international travelers are supposed to receive information cards on SARS with instructions on what to do if symptoms emerge.

However, there has been no screening of those leaving Toronto, the epicenter of the biggest SARS outbreak outside Asia. Federal Health Minister Anne McLellan said Monday the government was looking at a variety of measures, including infrared technology that can detect fever among passengers.

“This is not something we can tolerate in our society,” Clement said. “This is something we want to see beaten.”