With the development of commercial diagnostic tests for Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) progressing slower than initially hoped, the United Nations World Health Organization (WHO) said its network of laboratories are working to expedite the process by providing critical specimen to scientists.

The United Nations health agency has put Toronto, Canada, back on the list of areas with recent local transmission of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) following new reported clusters of 26 suspect and eight probable cases of the deadly disease linked to four area hospitals.

The United Nations health agency today lifted its warning against all but essential travel from two major SARS areas – Hong Kong, which has reported the second highest number of cases and deaths from Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome, and China’s Guangdong Province, where the new disease first emerged in November.

The United Nations health agency today extended its travel advisory against all but essential travel to the whole of Taiwan Province of China, which has registered the third highest number of cases and deaths from newly emergent Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS).