Singapore's Special Olympics team, whose trip to the games in Ireland next month was put in jeopardy by a Government decision not to invite teams from SARS-affected countries, may now be able to participate.
The World Health Organisation said yesterday that it was removing Singapore from among its list of SARS-affected regions from midnight last night.
The news was conveyed to Singapore's health ministry in an e-mail from WHO executive director Mr David Heymann.
Countries are removed from the WHO's list of affected areas if they have gone without a new case of SARS for 20 days. This is believed to be twice the incubation period for the virus.
The Department of Health has already indicated that only those countries on the WHO's list of affected areas 10 days before the games begin cannot travel.
The Singapore delegation is due to stay in Arklow, Co Wicklow, and the chairman of the Arklow Host Town Committee, Mr Leonard Murphy, said last night he was delighted with the news. "We are still hopeful that they may come to Arklow," he said.
However, he said that if the team members had to spend time in isolation before travelling to Ireland they might not be able to spend time in Arklow. This situation, he hoped, would be clarified next week when the State's SARS expert group meets again.
Last week, the Filipino delegation began making plans to participate in the games after the Philippines was also removed from the WHO list of affected areas.
The other countries still affected by the Government's controversial decision are China, Taiwan and Hong Kong.
In addition, the Canadian Special Olympics team may yet be prevented from travelling here as a result of an increase in the number of SARS cases there. Eight new cases were reported by the Canadian health authorities yesterday.
Canada is the only country outside Asia where people have died of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome. So far, the disease has killed 29 people in the Toronto area and some 7,000 people in Toronto are under quarantine. Some Canadian health officials think the latest SARS outbreak there may have peaked, even as they anticipate an increase in their SARS caseload from the people who remain in quarantine.
A spokeswoman for the Department of Health said that the advice of the SARS expert group that those terams from areas on the WHO list should not travel to Ireland for the Special Olympics would apply to Toronto.
Toronto was reinstated on the World Health Organisation's list of SARS-affected areas on Monday.
Meanwhile, the North-Western Health Board has confirmed that the man who was admitted to Letterkenny General Hospital with SARS-like symptoms last weekend did not actually have SARS.
"We are satisfied that the case no longer fits the definition of either suspect or probable SARS. An alternative diagnosis for the individual was reached and the patient is now well," the board said in a statement.