Kenya has strengthened surveillance on Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) in its country, the Kenyan Ministry of Health said Friday.

"New measures have been introduced which require that passengers from countries with local transmission of the virus have their temperatures checked on arrival at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport using a thermo scan," the ministry said in apress release.

Screening has also been extended to passengers on regional flights, according to the press release.

The health ministry is also in the process of developing information materials for distribution to the public in the east African country, and a series of radio and television programs on SARS will be aired starting next week, said the release.

Kenya introduced surveillance at all its international airportson April 2, 2003, two weeks after the World Health Organization issued a global alert on SARS.

So far, over 42,000 passengers have been screened at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport in the capital Nairobi and Moi International Airport in the southeast coastal city of Mombasa, the release said.

However, no suspected case of SARS has been reported up to now,according to the release.