New Delhi: Even as an unconfirmed Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) case in Singapore brought back the spectre of the dreaded diseases, World Health Organisation (WHO) on September 11 said that world may face many more SARS-like diseases in this century and countries should remain vigilant to be able to deal with such a situation.

"SARS tested the surveillance capacity of WHO and the countries across the world. It was the first dreaded disease in the 21st century but not the last," WHO director general Dr Lee Jong-Wook told reporters.

"Many more SARS-like diseases may come up. For example, AIDS (Acquired Immuno Deficiency Syndrome) is a new disease just about 20-year-old," Lee said, adding nobody knows whether SARS would come back, but it may come back.

Only few weeks ago there was a scare in Canada, though a WHO team found that it was not SARS. Similarly there is a case in Singapore in which although patient's symptoms were unlike SARS, the virus looked like a SARS virus.

WHO was alert for the disease. "We hope we will be able to deal with it when it comes back," he said adding to fight any disease outbreak countries should be open and report the matter to WHO. There was a delay of four months during SARS outbreak before the world knew about the disease.

PTI