Quarantine authorities in Beijing said the move was designed to prevent SARS (severe acute respiratory syndrome) from spreading overseas.

The passengers may go ahead with their exit procedures after confirming they are free of the symptoms of SARS, or they will be asked to cancel their travel plans for immediate medical treatment.

Three devices capable of detecting suspected SARS sufferers have been installed at Beijing's Capital Airport in a bid to curb the spread of the disease, quarantine officials said Tuesday.

Sources with Beijing Entry-Exit Inspection and Quarantine Bureau said the devices, the first of their kind installed at an international airport in China, were sensitive to people with body temperatures higher than normal.

The devices will alert quarantine officers by sounding a siren automatically when they detect a passenger with a fever, a symptom of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS).

The quarantine authorities also ordered disinfection measures for all passenger aircraft from countries or regions hit by the disease and outbound passenger aircraft.

Passengers from those countries and regions are also obliged to fill in a health card before landing at the airport in a bid to screen out possible passengers infected by SARS.

(Xinhua News Agency April 23, 2003)