Travelers to Get Alerts on SARS

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Tuesday that it will begin issuing health warnings to everyone who enters the U.S. from Toronto because severe acute respiratory syndrome has killed 14 people in Canada, infected 324 others and forced more than 7,000 into quarantine.

Travelers will be given yellow cards advising them that they “have been somewhere where SARS is a problem. If you get sick, see your primary physician,” said CDC Director Julie Gerberding. “There is no reason to stay home, but if you are going there, be aware.”

The unprecedented effort aims to reach hundreds of thousands of people who cross the border each month.

Three CDC specialists arrived Tuesday in Toronto to help contain the spread of SARS. They will audit infection-control measures in hospitals to see whether additional measures should be taken to prevent the spread.

Border agents will distribute the yellow warning cards at Pearson International Airport in Toronto and at least four border crossings, including Detroit and Buffalo, N.Y. The cards, printed in several languages, describe the symptoms of the disease.