SARS: the situation in France - 3 April

Since an epidemic alert was released in France on 13 March (1), 216 people with symptoms of respiratory infection returning from Vietnam, China, Hong Kong, or Singapore were notified to the national Public Health Institute (Institut de veille sanitaire, InVS) (2). Of these, 201 were excluded after clinical, radiological, biological, and epidemiological evaluation of their compatibility with Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS).