Travel advisory extended to Hebei province:
WHO is today [May 17] recommending that persons planning to travel to Hebei Province, China consider postponing all but essential travel. The temporary recommendation is based on the magnitude of the outbreak in Hebei, including the number of prevalent cases and the number of new cases reported daily, and evidence that local chains of transmission are occurring outside a confined setting, such as the health care environment. Together, these factors increase the risk that travellers to Hebei could become infected and subsequently export the disease elsewhere.

Similar travel advice is currently in effect for Hong Kong SAR and Taipei and for several areas of mainland China, including Beijing, Guangdong, Inner Mongolia, Shanxi, and Tianjin.

To date, Hebei has reported a cumulative total of 202 probable cases and 10 deaths.

Taiwan has another record high for SARS cases in a single day:
StraitsTimes, May 18: Taiwan runs out of masks.

April 24: 41 probable cases.
May 2: 100 probable cases, 8 deaths.
May 9: 149 probable cases, 13 deaths, 229 suspected cases.
May 14: 238 probable cases, 30 deaths.
May 15: 264 probable cases, 34 deaths. 281 suspected.
May 16: 274 probable cases, 35 deaths.
May 17: 308 probable cases, 35 deaths.
May 18: 344 probable cases, 40 deaths. 357 suspected cases.

Reuters, May 18: Taiwan announces record one-day jump in SARS cases. "Taiwan, already struggling with the world's third-highest number of SARS deaths and infections, reported on Sunday its biggest one-day jump in new cases and said five more people had died from the flu-like illness."

Singapore:
May 2: 203 probable cases, 25 deaths. 15 patients in intensive care.
May 11: 205 probable cases, 28 deaths.
May 12: 205 probable cases, 28 deaths.
May 13: 205 probable cases, 28 deaths, plus ? cluster at IMH (see below)
May 15: 205 probable cases, 28 deaths.
May 16: 205 probable cases, 28 deaths. 7 remain in ICU
May 17: 205 probable cases, 28 deaths. 7 in Intensive Care Units.
An epidemic curve for Singapore is available, here in PowerPoint format.

Straits Times, May 18: "Doctors are now '100 per cent sure' that a total of 54 Institute of Mental Health (IMH) patients and staff who had fever do not have SARS... Forty of them tested negative for the Sars virus. Six of nine in the group tested for flu returned positive results for influenza B.
"Based on the test results of the 40, and the fact that most of the 54 had fever for no more than 48 hours - whereas it usually lasts a week or two in SARS patients - [Health Minister] Lim said he is confident SARS can be ruled out." More information on the Singapore government website.

Click here to view the complete May 18 SARS Update.