Boarding pupils put in camps as fears of Sars rise

Dozens of boarding school children from Asia arriving back in Britain yesterday for a new term at schools including Eton were instead put into quarantine camps to see whether they have the deadly virus that causes severe acute respiratory syndrome (Sars).

About 150 children were due to be transferred to two camps, one in rural Dorset and one on the Isle of Wight, where they will be kept isolated for 10 days and subjected to medical tests.

Meanwhile, the World Health Organisation (WHO) warned that a test developed by a Germany company to screen people for infection was "insufficiently powerful to rule out with confidence the presence of the virus". It said using the test "may produce test results that give a false sense of security, allowing persons carrying the virus to slip past undetected". It is unclear whether the children now going into quarantine will be given the German test.

At the end of the 10-day quarantine, those who are cleared will be allowed to return to their schools for the start of the summer term.

Sars, which is contagious, sometimes fatal and has no known cure, first came to light in Hong Kong but is believed to have originated in China. It has spread to about 25 countries, killing 172 people and infecting more than 3,400. Six people died of the disease on Thursday, the WHO said.

Some of Britain's most prestigious schools, including Eton, are taking part in the quarantine programme.

Adrian Underwood, national director of the Boarding School Association, said there were some 7,000 children from Hong Kong and mainland China in the 550 schools that were part of his association.Between 30 and 40 of those schools have decided to place their pupils in quarantine.

Arriving at Heathrow airport yesterday, many of the children complained about the inconvenience but some said the move was necessary. "It's very inconvenient actually, because I want to enjoy my holiday fully in my home, but now it turns out I have to come back early," one arriving schoolboy said.

Maggie Li, the mother of two children who are due to be quarantined, said: "They are still upset about it, but anyway I think it will be good for the school and for the other students in the school."

Chinese officials have been ordered not to conceal Sars cases after critics said their reluctance to provide full information about the disease may have aggravated the outbreak.