The health ministry today issued a travel alert, advising travellers to avoid areas affected by a deadly strain of pneumonia that is believed to have killed at least nine people across Asia and Canada.
"Unless absolutely necessary, travel to the affected areas should be avoided for the time being," Health Minister Chua Jui Meng told a press conference.
The World Health Organisation has issued a global warning on the illness, Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome ( SARS ).