The first case of SARS found in Singapore in twenty days has ended hopes of the country being removed from the World Health Organization's list of SARS-affected countries.
A 39-year-old man was diagnosed to be the first new infection in almost three weeks.
"With this development, Singapore will not be classified as aSARS-free country," Health Minister Lim Hng Kiang said at a newsconference.
"We have not established the source of his infection, we arestill investigating," he said.
Lim identified the new case as Lee Chong Kian, a Malaysian whois a permanent resident in Singapore where he works as a surveyor.
He was warded at Tan Tock Seng Hospital, the SARS-designatedtreatment centre, after coming down on May 11 with fever, a symptomof Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome. He was reported to be aconfirmed SARS case today.
"We'll have to find out what is the source of this case. WHOwill have to evaluate," Lim said.
Singapore, where SARS has killed 28 people, had been aiming tobe removed from the WHO's list of SARS-affected countries today- 20 days after the last local transmission was reported.
A clean bill of health by the global health watchdog should leadto a return of travellers to the city-state, where the SARS healthscare has wrought havoc on tourism-related industries.
Asked if a new 20-day countdown will begin on May 11,Singapore-based WHO consultant Stephen Lambert said: "I think wefirst of all have to find a bit more about this case."bh-mba/mmc
AFP