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| Chinese epidemiologist speaks out on SARS |
| CCTV.COM 2003-06-04 09:06:24 |
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China's leading epidemiologist Zhong Nanshan is optimistic about the SARS situation in Beijing. But he says developing a vaccine will take time. He made the remarks on the sidelines of the ongoing ASEAN, China, Japan and ROK 10＋3 SARS symposium.
Wherever he goes, he's pursued by a dozen reporters from home and abroad. He's the leading epidemiologist on the Chinese mainland. As the director of the Guangzhou Respiratory Disease Research Institute, Zhong Nanshan has been at the forefront of China's battle with the deadly virus.
On Tuesday, on the sidelines of an international symposium, he was once again the spotlight, where he expressed optimism about the SARS situation in Beijing.
"The development of SARS in Beijing is one month behind that in Hong Kong and Guangdong. I think various prevention and treatment measures have yielded positive results. We expect Beijing can be dropped from the list of WHO travel warnings by mid－June or early next month," said Zhong Nanshan.
He also disagrees with the mortality rate assessed by the WHO, which hit 10 percent. He said, “The WHO figure is mainly based on the situation in Canada and Singapore. But the research on Chinese mainland shows the mortality rate here is only 4 percent. Globally, the percentage will stand at no more than six. But I don't know whether racial characteristics account for the difference."
On producing a vaccine, he says it will take a relatively long time due to the amount of lab research needed and the complicated application procedures.
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Editor: Han Ling CCTV.com
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