The National Institute of Health (NIH) said one more suspected case of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) was reported Thursday, bringing the total of suspected SARS cases locally to eight.

The health agency said it classified a man in his thirties who returned from Hong Kong Wednesday as a suspected SARS patient.

The number of cases brought to the NIH's notice for having similar symptoms to those of SARS victims grew to 45 as of Thursday.

An NIH official said fears are mounting about the possibility of an inflow of the deadly respiratory disease into South Korea given a recent jump in the number of inbound Koreans from China and the number of patients having similar symptoms to SARS who have been reported to local quarantine authorities.

Meanwhile, the agency has added Toronto to regions tourists should avoid travelling to, in line with World Health Organization (WTO) criteria.