The World Health Organization (WHO)'s Executive Director for
Communicable Diseases David Heymann said Hong Kong's time to be
excluded from the infected area list for severe acute respiratory
syndrome (SARS) is soon to come.
Heymann made the remarks Monday at a new conference after winding
up his one-day trip to Hong Kong.
"It's a very simple decision. Twenty days after the last case was
isolated, the country (region) is automatically removed from the
list of countries (regions) of global transmission. So twenty days
after the last case was isolated in Hong Kong, it will be
automatically removed from the list.
"We believe that time is approaching. Right now we are working on
what date," Heymann said.
Heymann distinctly stressed that the elements of politics are ruled
out in determining what countries and regions should be on the WHO
infected area list for SARS.
"Information obtained from the infected areas will be used now by
the (WHO's) director-general to determine when countries (regions)
can come off the list.
"The director-general only made her recommendations based on a
technical issue of an isolated technical team," he stressed, adding
public health cannot be interfered with by political lobbying.
"Our director general clearly "shielded the technical activities
from that," he continued.
Heymann also said Taiwan province and Beijing are not linked asfar
as travel recommendations are concerned. "They are independent.The
assessment is independent of each area where there is disease," he
said.
(Xinhua News Agency June 17, 2003)
