China's Efforts Lead to Decreasing SARS Cases

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Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Thursday, April 03, 2003

China's Efforts Lead to Decreasing SARS Cases

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.

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China's efforts to curb atypical pneumonia that has claimed the lives of 46 Chinese have resulted in a rise of recovered patients and a drop of new patients, Health Minister Zhang Wenkang said Wednesday.

As of March 31, 1,190 atypical pneumonia patients had been reported in the inland areas of China, and 46 had died, Zhang said in an interview with Xinhua.

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 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 Wednesday.

All those who have contracted SARS in other parts of the country have visited Guangdong or been overseas, said Zhang.

The central authorities have expressed great concern and have issued instructions regarding the control of the disease, according to the minister.

The Health Ministry has sent leading officials and experts to Guangdong to help curb the disease, while local authorities have mobilized all resources to cure the patients, inform the public, and prevent the spread of the epidemic.

As a result, Guangdong reported 47 percent less of new cases in March than in February, with 507 more recovered patients discharged from hospital and the number of deaths dropping sharply, the minister said.

He said the origin of the disease has yet to be identified, adding that there has been no scientific evidence establishing Guangdong as the source though the province reported the first atypical pneumonia cases.

Cases have been reported in a number of countries and regions, but some of the patients have not been to Guangdong or neighboring Hong Kong, Zhang said.

The fact that HIV and AIDS cases were first reported in the United States does not mean that the fatal epidemic originated there, he noted.

The minister said China and the World Health Organization (WHO) have been in close cooperation and have achieved success especially in the prevention and control of infectious diseases.

Following the outbreak of atypical pneumonia, the WHO dispatched experts to China on three separate occasions at the invitation of the Chinese government.

Zhang quoted some WHO experts as saying that China's experience in controlling atypical pneumonia is very useful for other countries.

Chinese and WHO experts will go to Guangdong for further cooperation in curbing atypical pneumonia in the next few days, the minister said.

He said effective measures have been taken to bring the epidemic under control and to ensure that foreign visitors in China will not be infected.

According to him, the central and local disease control departments have stipulated a number of methods, criterion and guidelines for the treatment and prevention of atypical pneumonia.

Atypical pneumonia is a kind of pneumonia caused by mycoplasma,chlamydia, legionella, rickettsia, adenovirus and some unknown microbes.

Atypical pneumonia patients, who show symptoms of fever, cough and respiratory difficulty, are quite distinct from general pneumonia patients, who are infected through frothy saliva from respiratory organs.

The minister advised people to take the following measures to prevent infection:

-- Ensure strict hygiene, well-balanced meals, seasonal clothing, physical exercise, adequate rest and reduced stress, and avoid smoking;

-- Ensure adequate indoor ventilation and avoid crowded public places;

-- Go to hospital immediately if symptoms appear;

-- Do not visit atypical pneumonia patients; and

-- Tell children prevention methods.

Premier Wen Jiabao 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.

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.

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.

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