FED: 16 passengers assessed and cleared of SARS

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FED: 16 passengers assessed and cleared of SARS

Sixteen airline passengers singled out for SARS assessments at Australian airportsover the past 24 hours have all been cleared of the deadly virus.

Commonwealth Chief Medical Officer, Professor RICHARD SMALLWOOD, says a boy in NewSouth Wales is the only person currently being checked for Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome.

To date, 98 people have been placed under investigation in Australia as suspect orprobable cases of the flu-like infection.

Australian health authorities have notified four probable cases of the disease to theWorld Health Organisation -- a 45-year-old woman from Queensland and three Canadian childrenin Victoria, all of whom have recovered.

SARS has left 281 dead out of more than 4,800 cases worldwide, mostly in East Asia.

AAP RTV sal/rt

KEYWORD: SARS AUST (CANBERRA)