Madam, - There is considerable worry among prospective travellers about the risk of contracting SARS. Available information suggests that this is very slight unless one comes in fairly - or more often - very close contact with someone who has the condition. Several places, notably, Taiwan, Vietnam, Hong Kong, Singapore and parts of mainland China, should be avoided at the moment until the situation becomes clearer .
As members of the Irish Society of Travel Medicine we feel it important to ask the travelling public to check with their travel clinic or family doctor before going overseas at the moment.
Detailed information is available to everyone and is updated regularly at the WHO and CDC websites: http://www.who.int/csr/sars/en/ and http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/sars. - Yours, etc.,
Dr DAVID THOMAS, TCD, Dr DOM COLBERT, Galway, Dr NANCY GALLAGHER, RCSI Travel Clinic, Dublin.