WHO Officials Study SARS Situation in S. China Province

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Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Saturday, April 05, 2003

WHO Officials Study SARS Situation in S. China Province

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Officials from the World Health Organization (WTO) said Friday they were "impressed" with the capacity of Chinese experts under biohazards in the laboratory of the provincial disease control center of Guangdong, south China.

Dr. Robert F. Breiman, head of the Program on Infectious Disease and Vaccine Science of the Center for Health and Population Research, said they visited the Guangdong center in the morning to evaluate the capacity of the Chinese experts there.

Breiman is one of the five-member WHO team who arrived here Thursday to study the situation of SARS (severe acute respiratory syndrome), or atypical pneumonia, in Guangdong.

Upon arrival, they attended a meeting with some 60 medical officials and experts, and heard reports on the control of the epidemic in the province, Breiman told Xinhua in an interview.

He said they also visited the People's Hospital of Foshan City Friday afternoon, where they talked with two SARS patients who have been out of danger and are recovering.

Local experts and departments concerned have provided the WHO officials a lot of information and data, but Breiman said they need to learn more.

At the laboratory, the WHO officials saw stored specimens, which they believe would be helpful for getting to know the real root of virus.

"It seems that Guangdong's SAR incidence is decreasing, and we want to know why," said Breiman.

"Hong Kong, Canada and Singapore are watching Guangdong, expecting it could give the crystal ball," he said.

"There is risk, but the risk is not tremendous enough to arouse the public," he said, referring to the situation in Guangzhou.

Breiman said that the number of SARS patients is very small, comparing with the city's population of 10.5 million.

He encouraged cooperation between local doctors, who have gained much experience in treating hundreds of SARS patients, and their overseas colleagues for faster progress in treatment and research of the epidemic.

On Saturday, the WHO official are scheduled to visit a laboratory in the Sun Yatsen University and the Guangdong Provincial People's Hospital.

Breiman said, the WHO officials will visit more laboratories and hospitals and talk with local experts, in the hope that what they learn during the trip could be helpful for studies on SARS by experts of other countries.

Guidelines for SARS Control Published

The government of south China's Guangdong province, the site of the first reported cases of serious acute respiratory syndromes (SARS), has published a series of official guidelines aimed at bringing the epidemic under strict control.

A leading official with the Guangdong Provincial Medical Bureau told Xinhua that the timely publication of the guidelines which outline ideal, effective therapies and preventive measures constitutes valuable experience in control and eradication of the disease.

On January 23, when the epidemic was first reported, the authorities circulated an in-depth investigative report among local hospitals requesting that they be on the watch for symptoms of the mysterious disease and to observe and treat the patients with intensive care.

On February 3, the provincial bureau issued a notice on the control and prevention of the mysterious disease and worked out the criteria for clinical diagnosis, control and laboratory work relating to the illness.

On March 9, the Provincial Medical Bureau issued "the Guidelines for the Treatment of Atypical Pneumonia Patients in Hospitals of Guangdong Province" which contain three sets of criteria for the diagnosis of the disease in adults, children and critically ill patients as well as 10 proposed therapies for the treatment of the disease.

On March 27, the bureau issued another two guidelines for the disease prevention and control, one for schools and kindergartens and the other for public places.

The official said the key to preventing the epidemic hinges on diagnosis and treatment of patients in the early stages of the disease.

In March, Guangdong province had brought the disease under control, as evidenced by a significant drop in the number of new cases. Between March 1 and March 31, 361 new cases were detected, down 47.5 percent from the previous month.

In March, 507 patients had recovered and were discharged from the hospital, 133 less than in the month of February. In March, the disease claimed nine lives, 18 less than in February.

Tourism in China is Safe

The severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) disease which has occurred in some provinces of China is under effective control and tourism is safe in the country, a senior tourism official said Friday.

Deputy Director Sun Gang of the National Tourism Administration (NTA) said the NTA and tourism management departments across China would cooperate with health authorities to enhance epidemic-prevention work in scenic areas, sightseeing spots, hotels and vehicles to eliminate any possibility of infection.

All tourism activities in China were continuing as normal, said Sun at a briefing attended by staff of representative offices of overseas tourism agencies and airline companies.

The governments of some foreign countries had tried to persuade their citizens not to visit China, Sun said, which caused the cancellation of a number of package tours to China.

Statistics from Beijing, Shanghai and Guangdong, China's three major ports of entry, show that by April 3, about 136,000 tourists had called off their arranged visits to China.

However these abrogations would not severely affect China's tourism industry, which catered for several million tourists each month, Sun said, adding that a large number of overseas tourists came to China despite their governments' warnings.

China's Health Minister Zhang Wenkang told Chinese and foreign reporters Thursday that it was safe to work, tour and live in China.

The minister's remarks were the "most authoritative," Sun said, adding that Chinese tourism sectors would try their best to arrange the upcoming "Golden Week" for tourism, China's week-long holiday from May 1.

"A well-organized holiday, with millions of people traveling around the vast country, will show the world that tourism in China is secure and healthy," Sun said.

Statistics from the NTA indicate that China is the largest market for domestic tourism and in the January-February period this year, overseas tourists to China increased 9.25 percent year-on-year, with the number of foreign visitors jumping 25.09 percent.

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