New Delhi: World Health Organisation (WHO) on April 5 said that the number of people affected by Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) was still increasing globally though in some areas the epidemic was "even showing a decrease".

However, the increase was not "dramatic", director general Dr Gro Harlem Brundtland told reporters. "In some affected areas, the epidemic was even showing a decrease," she said.

Brundtland said WHO was in touch with the Indian authorities on some deaths due to suspected pneumonia cases in Bhopal.

Commenting on the nature of the epidemic, she said, "We have not seen a situation like this in the last five years. The disease is believed to have started in Guangdong in China and from there moved to Hong Kong and then spread to other countries by passengers."

No antiviral agent is effective against the infection, but this is the case even with common cold, she said, adding, "People with SARS become healthy after a week or so."

However, the disease is associated with 3-4 per cent death rate.

There was no answer on what virus was causing SARS but it seemed that it was one of the Corona virus which causes common cold but the virus had turned "nasty", Brundtland said.

Earlier it was thought that it might be an influenza virus for which health community is always on alert. But, later it was decided that it was not an influenza virus, she said.

PTI