ISPA Asia is the latest casualty of the flu-like bug Severe Acute Respiratory System (SARS).

The ISPA conference is being postponed to a later date, after the world Health Organisation (WHO) recommended people avoid all non-essential travel to Hong Kong, Guangdong, Taiwan, Hanoi and Toronto - all areas affected by SARS. The conference was due to take place in Taipei, Taiwan from 24 April.

According to the organisers, 90 percent of the sponsors and exhibitors are in agreement with the postponement and have pledged their support of the event when it gets rescheduled in August 2003.

This disruption will come as a further blow to ISPA, which has already seen the European chapter of ISPA cancel its June conference, after the decision by ISPA in the US to shut down both the European and Asia pacific ISPA chapters from September 2003.