Subject: SEVERE ACUTE RESPIRATORY SYNDROME (SARS) IN ASIA

March 28, 2003

PUBLIC ANNOUNCEMENT - U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE - Office of the Spokesman 

This Public Announcement is being issued to alert Americans that the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) has issued a travel advisory and health alert notices, which are being distributed at ports of entry to people returning from the three SARS-affected regions.  CDC advises that people planning elective or nonessential travel to mainland China and Hong Kong; Singapore; and Hanoi, Vietnam, may wish to postpone their trips until further notice. This Public Announcement expires on June 26, 2003.

The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and the World Health Organization (WHO) are tracking SARS's origin and method of transmission as well as determining how its spread can be contained. In light of the continually evolving nature of the geographic spread of SARS, American citizens should regularly consult the CDC website http://www.cdc.gov/ and the WHO website http://www.who.int/ for updates. 

American citizens currently in or planning to travel to SARS-affected areas of Asia should consult the Department of State's Fact Sheet on SARS, Public Announcements, Travel Warnings, and Consular Information Sheets for China, Hong Kong, Singapore, and Vietnam, all of which are available at the Consular Affairs Internet web site at http://travel.state.gov. American citizens may also contact the Department of State toll-free at 1-888-407-4747, or if calling from overseas, 317-472-2328, for SARS information.


Department of State travel information and publications are available at Internet address: http://travel.state.gov. U.S. travelers may hear recorded information by calling the Department of State in Washington, D.C. at 202-647-5225 from their touchtone telephone, or receive information by automated telefax by dialing 202-647-3000 from their fax machine.