A 39-year-old man who was diagnosed as infected with the Sars virus in neighbouring Singapore did not contract the virus in Malaysia, a senior health official here said today.

The last-minute case o­n Sunday shattered Singapore's dream of being taken off the World Health Organization's (WHO) list of Sars-affected countries.

Lee Chong Kian, a Malaysian who is a permanent resident in Singapore where he works as a surveyor, was likely to have contracted the disease while in Singapore as he had not fallen sick when visiting Malaysia's Johor state o­n May 1 and May 5, Dr Mohd Ismail Merican, deputy director-general of health said.