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| WHO holds joint press conference with China |
| CCTV.COM 2003-06-12 13:06:32 |
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 In Beijing, World Health Organization officials spoke highly of China's efforts in fighting the SARS epidemic while giving a briefing on its recent cooperation with the Chinese government this morning. For its part, China's Health Ministry has also promised to do more to improve the nation's public health system.
It's the first time China's Health Ministry has held a joint press conference with the WHO. For seven consecutive days, Beijing has reported no new cases. And for more than two weeks, new SARS cases have remained under 10 nationwide. Executive Vice Minister of the Ministry of Health Gao Qiang said those good signs demonstrate China's SARS prevention measures have been effective so far. But he warned that it's not the end of the crisis, just the beginning of a long march towards a sound public health system to face SARS－like emergencies.
The vice minister said, "Public health administration is crucial to ensure people's welfare. The outbreak of SARS has prompted us to realize it's imperative to improve China's emergency responding ability and basic facilities to treat communicable diseases. The WHO suggests we set up a national database for SARS and other infectious diseases. We have accepted it and will soon put it into practice."
Expressing gratitude for the WHO's support in SARS containment, Gao Qiang also noted that China could cooperate with the agency in much broader way, including infectious disease research and personnel training.
WHO representatives said China's intense efforts in SARS prevention have strengthened the global solidarity to eventually overcome the disease. Executive Director for the WHO's Communicable Disease Study Dr. David Heymann commented that the openness that WHO experts received in their cooperation with many Chinese provinces was impressive. He said SARS－related data provided by these provinces were informative, complete and reflective of the massive efforts behind them.
Dr. Heymann did not specify when the WHO will lift its travel advisory against Beijing and other Chinese provinces. He said WHO experts will forward China's data and their report to the WHO director general to make the decision.
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Editor: Yang Feiyang CCTV.com
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