Governments around the world are stepping up preventive and infection control measures as no end appears to be in sight to the spread of the severe acute respiratory syndrome ( Sars ).

A rising number of countries have cautioned their citizens against travelling to severely afflicted areas until a solution is found to the global pandemic, which has since February spread to 16 countries in four continents.

Cut travel

While most countries have started cautioning against travel to Hong Kong and China, an increasing number have also issued stronger travel advisories discouraging travel to all areas where local transmission of Sars have been reported - thereby blacklisting Singapore, Taiwan, Toronto (Canada) and Vietnam as well.

France, Germany, Japan and the United Kingdom are among four countries to have advised its citizens to defer travel to Hong Kong and Guangdong, while Australia, Taiwan, Canada and Ireland had discouraged travel to all Sars-afflicted areas .

In its strongest message yet, the United States government yesterday authorised the departure of all non-essential personnel and their families from the embassies in China and Vietnam as well as consular officers in Hong Kong, Guangdong, Chengdu, Shanghai and Shenyang.

The multiple travel advisories worldwide were largely prompted by the issuance of the World Health Organisation's first ever travel advisory o­n Wednesday which recommended intending visitors to Hong Kong and Guangdong to postpone all non-essential travel.

The world body has justified its decision saying the unprecedented measure was meant to "limit further international spread of Sars by restricting travel to areas where transmission patterns of Sars are not fully understood".

Workers barred

In addition to the travel advice, worried governments invoked a myriad of regulations to further discourage travel among their citizens.

Among other measures by the Thai government, the country's legislators have been barred from all foreign travel while job agencies have been prohibited from sending workers to major Sars-afflicted areas.

Indonesia, faced with several suspected cases, had proclaimed Sars a "national epidemic threat" and implemented a law which carries a jail term of up to o­ne year for those who block government efforts to control the outbreak.

The travel advisories also created havoc for individuals and groups who had planned international or regional events.

On Wednesday, New Zealand turned away 43 Chinese officials from a conference, fearing they might carry the disease into the country.

In Manila, a federation of Chinese-Filipino entrepreneurs postponed indefinitely the visit of an investment mission from China. Also postponed is a Chinese acrobat circus in the city which was scheduled to run from April 4 to 13.

A French warship cancelled a stopover in Thailand after being warned that its crew of about 500 may be quarantined as they had earlier stopped in Singapore.

Quarantines evaded

Meanwhile, in afflicted countries, the authorities have stepped up o­n quarantine and isolation measures after earlier efforts failed to contain the spread of the disease.

In Singapore, a fleet of 32 ambulances have been put o­n standby to pick up anyone suspected of having Sars. The move came after public concerns of being exposed to Sars o­n public transportation systems.

Hong Kong, which ordered all schools closed since March 22 had extended the emergency order to April 22 as the mysterious disease has not been contained.

Since Wednesday, more than 100 families were moved out of a Kowloon apartment block to two "holiday camps" o­n the fringes of the city after quarantine orders proved ineffective.

The Hong Kong Police have also been dispatched to search for 16 persons who have evaded a quarantine order, sparking fears that they may further transmit the disease to other areas.

Toronto public health authorities have declared a health emergency requiring all hospitals that had treated Sars patients to be closed. The order applied to at least five hospitals around the city.

In response to the high rate of hospital-based infections, the Toronto authorities have also ordered all hospital staff to wear protective masks at all times and have their temperatures checked each day as they arrive for work at hospitals.

As of yesterday, WHO tabulated a total of 2,270 probable cases of Sars infection since Nov 1, 2002. Seventy-nine persons have since died of the illness.

In the latest development, the disease is said to have spread to places as far-flung as Brazil, Israel, Portugal and Fiji. Japan too announced yesterday that 14 of its citizens are now suspected of contracting Sars during visits to afflicted areas in the past 10 days.