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Posted on 04/25/2003 4:10:28 AM PDT by kattracks

GENEVA (Reuters) - The World Health Organisation has told Canada it will not lift its warning against travel to Toronto over the SARS epidemic, a spokeswomen for the U.N. agency has said.

She said WHO chief Gro Harlem Brundtland had told Canadian Health Minister Anne Mclellan of the decision during a telephone call late on Thursday.

"The Director General (Brundtland) told the minister that, based on the information we have, there will be no suspension for Toronto," spokeswoman Christine McNab told a news briefing.

Canada attacked the WHO on Thursday, saying the agency had slapped the travel warning on its largest city for political reasons, and insisted the SARS outbreak was coming under control.

Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome has killed 16 people in the Toronto area, the only part of the world outside Asia where people have died from the highly contagious disease, for which there is no known cure.

SARS, which has a mortality rate of about six percent, has killed over 265 people and infected about 4,600 in 25 nations.

It has caused widespread alarm in mainland China, which has reported 110 deaths, and in Hong Kong, where 109 have died.

The Philippines reported its first two deaths from the virus on Friday, and Health Secretary Manuel Dayrit said the dead were a nursing assistant visiting home from Toronto and her father.

The disease is spread by droplets from sneezing and coughing, but may also be transmitted by touching contaminated objects such as elevator buttons.

Toronto has won backing from the U.S. Centres for Disease Control for its handling of the SARS outbreak, and is fighting for its reputation and its economic health after the WHO warning put the city virtually off limits for many travellers, forcing the cancellation of conventions and emptying shops and hotels.

"We were quite frankly sandbagged by the WHO," Ontario Premier Ernie Eves told a news conference on Thursday.

Toronto officials say the outbreak appears to be nearing an end. New cases were reported last weekend among health workers -- the group most at risk -- but the illness was not spreading to the broader community.

"The outbreak will be over when 20 days have elapsed with no new cases," said Sheela Basrur, Toronto's medical officer of health told the city council. "It's been about a week so far, at least, since we've had a new case in the community. So in my view the clock is already ticking on the 20 days."

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