The World Health Organization's latest SARS report has described Hong Kong's efforts in fighting the disease as heroic.

The report noted that, in some cases, Hong Kong's measures to prevent SARS' spread exceed those recommended by WHO.

Particularly impressive among the measures are exit-screening procedures at checkpoints, publication of information on all buildings where residents have developed SARS.

Others are procedures for isolation and quarantine, and aggressive contract tracing that relies on a system initially developed by the police force for use in criminal investigations.

WHO's Executive Director for Communicable Diseases, David Heymann is quoted as saying he and his colleagues have nothing but admiration for Hong Kong's health workers.

(CRI. May 8, 2003)