Ireland has joined the growing list of nations advising against non-essential travel to areas of the world affected by Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS).
Acting on the advice of the World Health Organisation, the Department of Health yesterday advised the public "not to undertake non-essential or elective travel to parts of China, Singapore, Hanoi and Toronto until further notice".
Beijing, Guangdong, Hong Kong and Shanxi were also mentioned as no-go areas in China, one of the countries worst hit by SARS.
Taiwan is also included on the list.
"We have acted on information supplied to us by the World Health Organisation," said a Department spokesman last night.
"We are not talking about all of Canada, just Toronto, and only those areas named. That will only change on the advice of the organisation," he added.
The Department said the advice followed the "serious public health threat identified by authorities in areas affected by SARS", and the stringent disease control measures now being employed as a result.
Since February, the disease has spread to 13 countries on three continents, bringing the number of suspected victims of the disease to 425.
For updates on countries affected by SARS, the Department has advised intending travellers to monitor the WHO website: www.who.int