Fiji has reported its first case of the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome or SARS.
The Daily Post reports that an Asian woman, a visitor from China, has been admitted and isolated with SARS at the Colonial War Memorial Hospital in Suva.
It says this has been confirmed by the the secretary for health, Luke Rokovada, who says the woman is under observation.
Meanwhile the health ministry has allocated a special budget to take preventive measures against the virus which has claimed more than 100 lives worldwide.
In a related development, Fiji's military has banned all travel by its personnel to high-risk countries in Asia.
And people arriving in Fiji after travelling in Asia are being screened at ports and airports.
