Probable Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) cases in Malaysia stood at five by Friday after the Health Ministry dropped three cases from the listof probable occurrences, an official said on Saturday.

Based on investigations and health reports, these three cases had been classified as SARS-negative, Deputy Director-General of Health Ismail Merican told reporters at the daily briefing on SARShere.

The three cases are a housewife in Penang, a lorry driver from Ipoh and a mosaic-layer who is employed in Singapore but is being treated in Sultanah Aminah Hospital in Johor Baharu.

"With exclusion of these three cases, the number of probable SARS cases in the country until yesterday is five including two deaths," Ismail said.

As of 6 p.m. Friday, the official said, four new cases were reported to the ministry of which three were non-SARS and the other, a suspect case.

The suspect case is a 26-year-old man from Kelantan who works as a laborer in Singapore. He returned to Kota Baharu on May 21 and is now warded in Kota Baharu Hospital.