The World Health Organisation has said the pneumonia-like illness SARS has been contained worldwide.
The announcement was issued after the organisation declared Taiwan, the last country on its watch list, free of new infections.
The WHO said the world was not SARS-free and continued vigilance was needed.
It urged governments to boost their public health systems in preparation for any new SARS outbreak, notably by improving surveillance and reporting systems and investing more in hospital infection control.
