Holidaymakers following travel advice to defer trips to Hong Kong, can alter their plans at no cost with most airlines and tour operators.
The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) quotes the Department of Health as 'strongly advising Britons to defer travel to Hong Kong and Guangdong province in southern China' after new cases of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (Sars) were discovered.
The disease originated in southern China, which has the largest number of Sars cases (currently 792 sufferers and 31 deaths) while Hong Kong has reported a spate of new cases - making a total of 685 known sufferers and 16 deaths.
Several governments had already advised against travel to these and other places with clusters of Sars cases. The Australian Foreign Ministry recommends travellers defer trips to Vietnam, Singapore and Toronto, Canada; and Canadian citizens are being advised against travel to Hanoi, Vietnam, Singapore and Taiwan. Airports in the above countries are rigorously screening all outbound passengers.
British Airways and BA Holidays will allow all those with imminent flights or holidays to Hong Kong to defer, reroute or get a refund.
Cathay Pacific, all of whose flights go via Hong Kong, is allowing anyone due to travel in April with a ticket issued before 17 March, to reroute or travel on a different date in 2003.
Hayes & Jarvis will offer anyone travelling to Hong Kong or Guangdong as a major proportion of their trip an alternative holiday or a refund until at least 22 April. Kuoni offers refunds while the FCO advice remains, and deferral or rerouting for all trips in April. Bales Worldwide is cutting the Hong Kong component out of its south-east Asia tours and offering a refund for the days customers would have spent there.
Sars is believed to have killed around 75 people since November, with 1,804 infected. The World Health Organisation (WHO) estimates it is fatal in 4 per cent of cases - usually where the patient already suffers from diabetes or a weakened immune system - but in 90 per cent of cases people recover around a week after being infected. A WHO spokeswoman said: 'In global public health terms it is not that serious. Malaria kills one million children a year, measles 750,000 and HIV 6,000 people a day.'
The UK-based Aviation Health Institute made renewed calls for airlines to ventilate their planes more regularly. Director Farrol Kahn said: 'Studies show there is an increased risk of infection from bacteria or viruses through air travel.' He believes airlines, which currently ventilate craft on average every 12 minutes, should return to the 1980's rate of every three minutes.
A BA spokesman insisted that WHO research showed no increased risk of infection on aircraft.
BA will continue to fly to Hong Kong, but via Bangkok so its crew can stop over away from the risk zone. Singapore Airlines cut 60 weekly flights in the South East Asia region, following cuts by Cathay Pacific and Qantas. Overall Hong Kong arrivals fell by 30 per cent last week while leisure bookings have fallen by three-quarters.
