Patient dies of respiratory pathology, no link with SARS, health department says

The Moroccan Health Department on Friday said that a patient died the same day of a respiratory pathology in a Casablanca private hospital, denying any link with the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) disease.

The department said in a release that it was informed on May 1st by a private hospital in Casablanca of the admission of a patient with suspected SARS symptoms. However, the department said, the tests undertaken in accordance with the definition of SARS by the World Health Organization showed that the patient was not infected with SARS.

The patient never travelled to any of the countries where SARS broke out and has never had any contact with a SARS-infected person.

The patient died in the early morning of this Friday, the department said, adding it will carry on investigations whose results will be made public.