Kurt Groetsch @ OldTasty.com

Heard about this from my cabbie on the way home this evening, who thought that a SARS outbreak would be really good for Beijing traffic.

Taiwan Reports 1st SARS Case in 5 Months

“Taiwan reported its first SARS case in five months on Wednesday — a scientist who allegedly ignored World Health Organization safety rules and worked with spilled virus samples without wearing a protective gown and gloves, officials said.”

“It looks very much like an isolated event,” World Health Organization spokeswoman Maria Cheng said. “He was traveling to Singapore but he was asymptomatic while there and, according to data we have, patients are not contagious while asymptomatic.”

The scientist showed no signs of a fever — a key SARS symptom — when his temperature was checked at Taipei’s airport upon returning from Singapore on the afternoon of Dec. 10, the center said. But he became sick in the evening, CDC said.