Some tourists shun Vietnam as pneumonia worry grows
HANOI - Tourists have cancelled trips to
Vietnam and residents of the capital, Hanoi, are buying up
medical supplies after a fast-spreading, severe type of
pneumonia killed a nurse at a city hospital at the weekend.
Global health authorities are on alert over the pneumonia
that has killed at least nine people in various parts of the
world, infected more than 100 and sparked a warning from
the World Health Organisation (WHO).
"Two big group tours of 40 people from Europe cancelled
this morning and more might be called off this week," said
Tran Trong Kien chief executive of Buffalo Tours in Hanoi.
"I think this is only temporary but it will be bad for business
if it drags on," he said.
The Geneva-based WHO said there were reports two people
had died in Canada, taking the global death toll to nine since
the first known case of the strain of atypical pneumonia,
Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) last month in
China.
The Vietnamese nurse who died was one of the first people
infected at a Hanoi hospital. She was the second person to
die of the disease in Asia.
A U.S. businessman, who the Vietnamese nurse had tended
before he was flown to Hong Kong, died in Hong Kong on
Thursday.
More than 40 cases have been reported in Vietnam and
shopkeepers in the capital Hanoi, at the centre of the
outbreak in Vietnam, reported brisk sales of surgical masks
and other supplies such as vitamins and nasal medicines.
The owner of a shop that sells cloth masks, worn by
motorcyclists for protection from pollution, said she had sold
about 50 masks on Monday morning. Usually she seels
about 10 all day.
A Hanoi pharmacist said people were buying up a lot more
cold and flu medicine than usual.
"There are a lot more people buying nasal droppers today
and vitamins. We are stocking up nasal droppers in case it
gets worse,"
Organisers of several business meetings said they were
keeping to their plans for now. A Manchester Chamber of
Commerce and Industry trade mission would begin as
scheduled on Monday, said a spokesman at the British
embassy in Hanoi.
A regional tourism meeting in Hanoi at the end of March is
also still going ahead but Pacific Asia Travel Association
spokesman Ken Scott said the group would seek
government advice ahead of the meeting.
A bar popular with Westerners said fear about the disease
may be hurting business.
"I noticed there were less regulars on Saturday and last
night," the bar manager said.
By Christina Toh-Pantin - Reuters - March 17, 2003.
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