INTERNATIONAL. China now accounts for 65% of the world’s total cumulative number of probable SARS cases and 44% of all reported deaths, following the release of the World Health Organization’s (WHO) latest figures, dated 5 May.
Chinese authorities reported 160 new probable cases of SARS and 9 new deaths since the previous report on Saturday. The new figures bring the cumulative total in China to 4,280 probable cases and 206 deaths. Of the new cases, 98 were reported in Beijing. Nine hospitals in the Chinese capital, Beijing, now deal exclusively with SARS patients.
China’s travel retail business has been devastated by the crisis. Travel Journal International Online (TJI), which monitors Japanese outbound travel, said most Japanese travel agencies showed year-on-year booking decreases to China of between -70% and -90% for the May-June period. “It is China’s worst showing since 9/11,” TJI said.
As of 5 May, a cumulative worldwide total of 6,583 probable SARS cases with 461 deaths have been reported from 27 countries, according to the WHO. This represents an increase of 364 new cases and 26 new deaths since the previous report. New cases since Saturday have also been reported in Malaysia (1), Singapore (1), the US (7), Hong Kong (16) and Taiwan (16).
The travel retail world continues to watch and hope that the SARS epidemic has peaked in most affected countries, amid mixed and often worrying messages from different locations.
The key indicator now is not total cases nor total deaths but new infections. The WHO recognises a 20-day period without new infections as implying the disease has peaked. Vietnam is such a case, where the last new case was 14 April. But areas to have recorded new cases since April 28 include: Canada, China, Hong Kong, Italy, Macao, Malaysia, New Zealand, the Philippines, Poland, Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan and the US.
