Virus-proof isolation pods are being introduced in Asia to help evacuate patients suffering from severe acute respiratory syndrome on commercial flights, according to a Local 6 News report.

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SARS Pod To Help Isolate Patients On Planes

The new tool, called a PIU, is a rectangular pod that would enclose a SARS patient in an air filtration system. Medical staff would also use respirators and enclosed hoods for further protection while helping patients.

The isolation units have been deployed in Singapore, China and Taiwan.

Meanwhile, the airline industry took a further hit Tuesday when Taiwan's EVA Airways announced it canceled flights to three Japanese cities in June as passenger loads have plummeted.

Airlines are among the businesses hardest hit by SARS, with thousands of cancelled flights and hundreds of planes sitting idle on tarmacs across the region.

Arrivals at Singapore were down more than 70 percent in May on a year earlier because of SARS. Singapore has reported 206 infections and 31 deaths from SARS -- the fourth-highest death toll from the virus that has no known cure or vaccine.

Globally, SARS has claimed 734 lives from over 8,200 infections since the virus first emerged in southern China in November. It has also caused massive economic damage, notably in Asia.