WHO Lifts Travel Advisory for Hong Kong

May 27, 2003

WHO Lifts Travel Advisory for Hong Kong
The World Health Organization (WHO) announced Friday that it would lift the SARS-related travel advisories for Hong Kong and the Chinese province of Guangdong, saying the outbreaks have been controlled.

According to the ABC News, the number of new cases of SARS in Hong Kong has been below average for the past six days, and the number of infections has dropped below 60. In Guangdong, the number of new reports of the disease, on average, has been below five for 11 days straight. Officials in Hong Kong now believe SARS may be been traced to civet cats, a food delicacy eaten in China.

"Due to the efforts of the provincial health authorities, the extent of local transmission has fallen to low levels over recent weeks," stated the WHO.

Over the past several months, SARS has infected more than 8,000 people worldwide and killed at least 689. Most of those cases were found in China and Hong Kong.

For more on this story, visit ABCNews.com.