Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
Taipei (Fides Service) – In Taiwan three more people have died of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome, SARS, bringing the total number of deaths to 14. Five new reported cases bring the number of infected persons to 125. Taiwan government has put 7,000 people in quarantine and a few days ago two doctors from the World Health Organisation WHO arrived in the island. In its latest report WHO says the SARS virus lives for a few days in the patient’s urine and stools. “The virus is stable in urine and stools at room temperature for at least one or two days. It remains stable up to four days in patients with diarrhoea”. Another important recent discovery made by WHO is that the virus dies in five minutes on coming into contact with standard disinfectants such as bleach. Other studies show that the virus thrives in low temperatures(0 degree Celsius, but dies at 36 degrees Celsius. Moreover it has been noted that it lives on surfaces and can be carried when a person touches the infected surface and then touches his own nose, mouth or eyes and that the virus can live for 24 hours on a plastic surface. AP (Fides Service 7/5/2003 EM lines 16 Words: 210)
