Backlash over government's SARS response

In the wake of the World Health Organisation's (WHO) warning against travel to Toronto – the first time a Western city has been singled out by the agency – the UK government has been slammed for its "potentially lethal silence" in countering the threat posed by the SARS pandemic.

Shadow health secretary, Dr Liam Fox, made the call and went on to demand action from the government over this "alarming threat".

“The government is treating this outbreak as something that happens in the Far East, rather than a deadly outbreak that might already be on our doorstep," he said.

“The experience in Canada shows what can happen if an outbreak of the disease occurs in a major Western city."

Concerns were raised last night when, following the WHO's travel warning, airline passengers from the affected areas continued to pass through the country's airports without a full screening process. And, whilst some private boarding schools are quarantining students returning from infected areas, the government has said that "expert advice does not recommend the mass quarantining" of travellers arriving from Canada and the Far East.

Fears over the spread of the disease have now reached fever pitch in the national media, with one daily newspaper today predicting "SARS will kill more than Aids". Another paper warns that "16,000 people a week" will fly into the country from infected zones. As of two days ago, a total of 3,947 cases had been reported from 25 countries on five continents – but only six cases have been reported in the UK, three of whom have since recovered.

The Chief Medical Officer Sir Liam Donaldson moved to allay fears yesterday, saying that the risk of acquiring the infection in the UK remains "very low".

He added: "Public health services remain vigilant about the risks associated with SARS occurring amongst people who have returned from affected parts of the world.

"Everything that needs to be done in this country is being done... However, the way that SARS will progress is not predictable so that if there is any change to the SARS situation here we will not hesitate to take any necessary further action."

Nonetheless, he warned that there was "no immediate prospect" of eradicating the SARS virus.

(GMcG)