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| Chinese Mainland, Hong Kong, Taiwan join hands in SARS research |
| CCTV.COM 2003-04-16 09:04:18 |
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The World Health Organization says the number of SARS cases worldwide has reached 2960. Though half of the affected patients have recovered, new cases are still being reported and the cause of the disease has still not been pinpointed. The Chinese mainland, Hong Kong and Taiwan are all among the 23 countries and regions trying to cope with the epidemic.
South China's Guangdong Province is one of the areas hardest hit by SARS. It's also where the first case of the disease was reported. Observers say the situation in Guangdong has steadily improved with a sharp downturn in the number of affected patients. So far, over 83 percent of the patients have recovered and been released from hospital.
"First of all, we need to understand that SARS is an epidemic and the human immunity to the disease is therefore weak. But, from what we have experienced and observed, there is no reason to panic. The disease's infectiousness is being weakened as it passes from one group to another," said Zhong Nanshan, director of Guangdong Team for SARS Prevention and Treatment.
The director says the key to fighting the disease now lies in finding the cause and developing a vaccine. This calls for concerted cooperation within the international medical community. So far, the Chinese mainland and Hong Kong have been working well together.
"In February, we had extensive discussions with our colleagues at Hong Kong University about the cause of SARS. We also managed to isolate the coronavirus in some patients. In mid March, we delivered a report at the same university focusing on severe SARS patients," said Zhong Nanshan.
A number of patients in Hong Kong have developed different symptoms from those on the mainland. These symptoms include diarrhoea. The knowledge gained from these cases may enrich the mainland's and the world's campaign against the disease.
At the official level, Director of Hong Kong SAR Health Department Margaret Chan says senior health officials from Hong Kong are expected to meet their mainland counterparts soon.
"The Hong Kong Chief Executive Tong Chee Hua has attached great importance to the issue. His office has contacted relevant mainland authorities and it's been decided that the Hong Kong Health Department will soon send officials to Guangdong Province for further cooperation in the field," said Margaret Chan.
The SARS situation in Taiwan offers a more reassuring picture. So far a little over 20 people have been affected, with no deaths reported. Taiwan medical experts say this is in part due to effective quarantine of suspected patients. But mainland cooperation with the island has so far been confined to the individual level.
"We have cooperated with the US Center for Disease Control and the Hong Kong Health Department. Recently Taiwan officials have been to Hong Kong to learn from the region's experience. After all, Hong Kong is now the epicenter of SARS and has developed some effective ways to diagnose the disease," said Zhang Cangneng with Taiwan Xinguang Hospital.
Experts from the mainland and Taiwan are pushing for greater cooperation in the field. A joint seminar by all three sides will be held later this month. Questions relating to the virus's profile and cause will be discussed at length to shed light on the remaining questions about the disease.
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Editor: Han Ling CCTV.com
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