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| Health Minister: SARS in China under control, 46 killed |
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The falling number of cases of atypical pneumonia in China has proven that the epidemic is now under control, said Health Minister Zhang Wenkang yesterday in Beijing.
By the end of last month, a total of 1,190 cases of the disease, also known as severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS), had been detected on the Chinese mainland, claiming 46 lives, the minister said.
Most of the infections (1,153 out of 1,190) and deaths (40 out of 46) have occurred in South China's Guangdong Province since November 16, 2002, Zhang noted.
A total of 934 atypical pneumonia patients, including 911 from Guangdong, have recovered after receiving medical treatment.
Since the beginning of March, the epidemic has gradually been brought under control, he said.
Twelve SARS cases, including three deaths, have been detected in Beijing, and four infections have been reported in North China's Shanxi Province, according to a World Health Organization (WHO) report.
The WHO also said yesterday that another three people had died and eight others were infected in South China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region.
These are in addition to seven infections in Central China's Hunan Province and three in Southwest China's Sichuan Province.
A woman suspected of atypical pneumonia has been hospitalized and isolated for treatment in Shanghai, local officials said yesterday.
All those who have contracted SARS in other parts of the country have visited Guangdong or been overseas, said Zhang.
So far, 1,804 cases have been diagnosed worldwide, claiming 62 lives. Of those, 685 infections have been diagnosed in Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, with 16 deaths reported.
Premier Wen Jiabao yesterday chaired an executive meeting of the State Council to discuss the prevention and control of SARS.
A five-person team from the WHO has spent more than a week in Beijing investigating the disease.
Four members of the team will go to Guangdong today to further study the cause and other aspects of the disease.
Chinese health authorities will continue to co-operate with and provide updates to the WHO on the epidemic, according to Zhang.
Zhang greatly appreciated the work of the WHO, which has sent three groups of experts to China since February to investigate the epidemic. And the WHO has also highly praised the Chinese Government's work in preventing and controlling SARS.
China has responded positively to WHO's request for it to join the global network combating atypical pneumonia, according to Robert F. Breiman, a member of the WHO team.
While in Hong Kong, P. Y. Lam, deputy director of health for the region, reiterated that Hong Kong would not be declared a quarantine zone because of the atypical pneumonia cases detected on the island.
Source:China Daily
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