The virus, which is new to science and has no known cure, has been carried by air travelers to around 22 countries in the past six weeks, infecting over 3,400 people.

Hong Kong, the second most affected area after mainland China, reported five more deaths from the virus on Wednesday.

"Indeed there have been cases of SARS -- there is no question about that -- that have also not been reported officially," German WHO virologist Wolfgang Preiser said after a visit to a military hospital in Beijing.

"The military seems to have its own reporting system which does not link in presently with the municipal one," he told a news conference on Wednesday.

WHO officials called for full disclosure from the country where Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) first appeared in November and which has been criticized widely for not sharing information with the rest of the world soon enough.

Officials were asked how many cases Beijing really had. "I would guess the range would be between 100 and 200," WHO official Alan Schnur replied. Only thirty-seven cases have been officially reported in Beijing.

A team of WHO virologists and epidemiologists were allowed to visit two military hospitals in Beijing -- days after asking for permission -- as the government responded to pressure.

SARS has killed at least 65 people and infected 1,445 in mainland China -- nearly half of the world's cases -- since it first surfaced in the southern province of Guangdong.

By: DocMemory
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