The regional outbreak of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) has not affected Malaysia, where 29 suspected cases have been recorded to date.

World Health Organisation (WHO) Joel van Deburge, the representative for Malaysia, Singapore and Brunei, confirmed that the suspected cases have turned out to be negative.

Meanwhile, an AFP report quoted WHO SARS co-ordinator Hitoshi Oshitani as telling a press conference in Manila this afternoon that international experts expect to identify the virus "within a few days, at most, a few weeks".

Oshitani, who said the virus apparently came from an animal, cautioned that it would take longer to find treatment for the disease.

Sufficient information

The suspected cases in Malaysia, van Deburge said, involved a pneumonia-like disease with routine symptoms such as cough, fever and sore throat.

He said the government has been providing sufficient information through the media and through health ministry facilities.

While this has helped prevent worry among the public over the spread of the disease, van Deburge advised Malaysians to co-operate with the health authorities to prevent an outbreak.

The New Straits Times reported today that a woman quarantined since last Thursday had died at the Kuala Lumpur Hospital o­n Sunday while awaiting test results for SARS. Two more patients remain under quarantine at the hospital, with another two admitted to a private hospital, the report said.

Asked to comment, van Deburge said he did not know anything about the patient who had died.

Precautionary move

A doctor at the KL Hospital told malaysiakini that the move to quarantine the two patients was a precautionary measure. He denied that the reported death involved SARS.

The doctor, who declined to be named or to reveal more information, would o­nly say that updated statistics and information o­n SARS would be issued through the health division's operations centre. This will include additional measures to contain the disease.

Last Friday, Health Ministry director-general Dr Mohamad Taha Ariff had briefed the media o­n steps already being implemented, including dissemination of information and surveillance at entry points.

Malaysians have been advised to postpone travel to SARS-affected countries and to seek medical help if they suffer any of the symptoms associated with the disease. ( See chart )

SARS, which was first detected last month, sparked a worldwide health alert after cases were reported in 13 countries within weeks.

The largest number of cases have been recorded in China, Hong Kong, Singapore, Vietnam and North America.

According to the WHO statistics updated as of today, a total of 1,600 persons are confirmed to have been infected in 15 countries. Of this number, 59 have died.