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April 27, 2004

SARS Cases in China

What's new:

Health Canada today began distributing Health Alert Notices to travellers arriving at the Toronto and Vancouver airports on flights from east Asia. These health alert notices provide information about SARS, remind travellers that they should monitor their health while travelling in Canada, and outline the steps they should take should they become ill.

Additional information:

Health Canada is aware of the reports of probable SARS cases in China, as well as the cases of people "under investigation". We have followed up with our global surveillance partners, such as the World Health Organization, to obtain the most up to date information.

Health Canada and its partners continue to be at a heightened state of vigilance for severe respiratory illness, particularly given the current avian influenza (H7N3) strain circulating in British Columbia and the outbreak of H5N1 in Asia.

Health Canada has alerted health care officials to the importance of collecting a travel history from people with severe respiratory illness. As per the Department's guidelines, Health Canada recommends that health professionals be alert for severe respiratory illness (fever, cough, difficulty breathing and evidence of pneumonia or acute respiratory distress syndrome) in patients who, in the 10 days before they started suffering from symptoms:

• traveled to mainland China;
• had close contact with a symptomatic person with a history of travel to mainland China; or
• worked in a laboratory where SARS coronavirus is being handled.

Health professionals are also alerted to the importance of collecting a travel and occupation history for symptomatic patients and contacts.

We continue to provide ongoing, up to date information from Health Canada to our provincial and territorial partners on SARS, influenza, avian influenza, and other emerging severe respiratory illnesses.

Activities at airports

Health Canada continues to maintain Quarantine Services at the Toronto, Vancouver, Montreal (Mirabel, Pierre Elliot Trudeau), Calgary, Edmonton, Halifax and Ottawa international airports. Quarantine Officers on site at these airports provide health assessments for international travellers who are identified to be ill. Health Canada has advised Quarantine Officers of the SARS situation in China and has asked them to increase vigilance of any reported passengers with respiratory illness. They have been advised to be especially alert to reports of travellers on flights from Beijing who appear to be ill from a respiratory illness.

We continue to provide infectious disease brochures with information on SARS at these airports.

Health Canada is providing information to travellers through the Travel Medicine Program web site.

For more information about the SARS situation worldwide, please consult the World Health Organization web site.