WHO raises the spectre of a flu pandemic On a day that Hong Kong sees just one new case of Sars, the world health body issues a warning that challenges lie ahead.

(From South China Morning Post)

Byline: Mary Ann Benitez

Hong Kong moved a step closer to having no fresh Sars cases yesterday as the World Health Organisation warned last night in Geneva that a new influenza pandemic could sweep the globe.

The Health Department reported only one new case of severe acute respiratory syndrome, a four-month-old girl, after three cases on Sunday, four cases on Saturday and three cases last Friday.

This means Hong Kong has met one of the WHO criteria for having its travel advisory lifted, that is, no more than an average of five cases over a three-day period. Director of Health Margaret Chan Fung Fu-chan said …