Health security is to be stepped up at Rome Fiumicino Airport to counter the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) virus, a potentially fatal atypical pneumonia, the Italian authorities said Thursday.

From Saturday Italian police from the health and hygiene unit will help airport medics in their random checks of hand and hold baggage, authorities said.

Checks will be most thorough and frequent on baggage from the Far East and Africa, the riskiest regions where spread the mysterious virus. Further health measures would soon follow.

Passengers from these areas will be asked to leave their ID numbers plus contact addresses and phone numbers for their movements during their first ten days in Italy, Italian officials said.

More than 100 people have died of the mystery virus worldwide in the last three months, over half in China.

Of the close to 3,000 people diagnosed with the bug, three have been in Italy where one has already been discharged from hospital. There is another suspected case.

(Xinhua News Agency April 11, 2003)