A second probable case of the pneumonia-type bug that claimed four more lives in Asia yesterday has been identified in the State.
The latest case is that of a Chinese woman who was admitted to Tallaght Hospital, Dublin, on Saturday. No details of the case emerged until yesterday.
The woman, who presented with symptoms of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS), had recently returned from south-east Asia.
Confirmation of this second suspected case came as the death toll from the disease worldwide rose to at least 22.
The first probable case in the State, that of a male patient who had returned from Hong Kong, is still being treated at Mayo General Hospital in Castlebar.
His condition is now described as "stable and improving".
Two other suspected cases presented at Dublin hospitals over the weekend, but doctors yesterday concluded they did not have the disease, which cannot be treated with standard drugs.
And a further suspected case treated at Portlaoise General Hospital at the weekend has been ruled out, the Midland Health Board said. The weekend cases came in the midst of industrial action by public health doctors, who work to control infectious-disease outbreaks. They are responsible for tracing persons who may have been in contact with anyone infected with SARS but are not available to work at weekends or out of hours during the dispute. The industrial action is over pay and failure to roster doctors round the clock to deal with threats to public health.
Meanwhile, there were four more deaths from SARS yesterday. A nurse and a doctor died in Vietnam and two other people died in Hong Kong.
In Singapore authorities trying to contain the outbreak yesterday ordered more than 700 people who had been in contact with victims of the disease not to leave their homes for 10 days. Anyone caught breaking the order faces a maximum fine of S$5,000 for a first offence, and S$10,000 for a second.
However, US health authorities said they believed they had detected a virus that was the probable cause of a mystery pneumonia that has caused at least 17 deaths around the world.
The government's Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said the virus causing Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) was from the coronavirus group.
"We certainly have more work to do, but we think we are on the right track," said CDC director Julie Gerberding who praised international co-operation led by the WHO.