No Need to Panic over SARS: Vice-Premier Wu

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Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Thursday, April 10, 2003

No Need to Panic over SARS: Vice-Premier Wu

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Vice-Premier Wu Yi said Wednesday the Chinese Government is confident and capable of controlling and eradicating the atypical pneumonia, also known as Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS).

Wu was speaking while meeting with Henk Bekedam, representative of the World Health Organization (WHO) office in China, and members of the WHO specialist team who came to China to investigate SARS.

The team has just finished their six-day tour in South China's Guangdong Province seeking more information about the cause of the disease and better ways of preventing and treating it. They returned to Beijing on Tuesday.

Thanks to the concerted efforts of central and local governments and medical workers in China, the spread of SARS had been effectively curbed with a decreasing rate of new cases and increasing numbers discharged from hospital, Wu told the guests.

Wu praised the work of the specialist team in Beijing and Guangdong, commending their hard work, friendly attitude and diligence.

The Chinese Government had also adopted a series of measures to ensure the health and security of foreigners residing in China, she noted.

China is going to adopt measures to secure the health of foreigners in the country, said Wu.

According to Wu, around-the-clock English hotlines and websites are to be set up in China's major cities to deal with queries concerning atypical pneumonia, and hospitals will make special medical service available to foreigners.

The personnel in foreign embassies, consulates, large corporations and media will be invited to briefings that will provide up-to-date information on atypical pneumonia in China and materials on the prevention of the disease, Wu said.

The relevant educational departments will also brief overseas students about the latest situation of the disease to ease their worries, Wu added.

A tourist card will be given to foreigners on entering China, notifying them where they can find relevant prevention knowledge and providing hospital phone numbers.

The sanitation work at public places such as airports and bus stations will be strengthened and taxis in big cities like Beijing and Shanghai are required to undergo daily disinfection, Wu stressed.

Persons having contact with infected persons will be kept under supervision and inspected by investigation teams made up of thousands of medical workers, Wu said, adding that the teams are expected to report and brief on the latest information in a timely manner.

Meirion R. Evans, a member of the WHO team, said at a press conference Wednesday that Guangdong's experience in SARS surveillance, epidemic control and prevention in hospitals and the community at large, as well as its work with international agencies, should serve as a model and be applied in other regions in China and other countries in the world.

The team also recommended to the Chinese Government more timely and open release of information on the epidemic and further investment in prevention and control, Evans noted.

Shanghai, which has reported its first SARS case, has requested a visit from the WHO team to discuss the disease and seek advice on how best to deal with it, according to the WHO.

Henk Bekedam was also asked to comment on Malaysia, which reportedly became the first country wednesday to bar tourists from the Chinese mainland. He told China Daily that WHO simply released information on the global epidemic and every country had to make their own decisions on this issue.

Guangdong Province had recorded the first and most cases of SARS in China. On April 7, another case was reported in the province, but no more deaths were recorded.

As of Monday, the total number of atypical pneumonia cases reached 1,280, with 53 deaths, in the Chinese mainland.

As of Wednesday, 2,671 SARS cases with 103 deaths have been reported in 17 countries, according to WHO officials.

Beijing opens English hotline on atypical pneumonia

Beijing opened another hotline on atypical pneumonia Wednesday to provide information in English following the opening of one in Chinese on Tuesday.

The English hotline, 010-64212486, and the Chinese one, 010-64287788, aim to help both domestic and overseas people know more about the disease, said He Xiong, vice-director of the Beijing Disease Control Center.

The center had been receiving over two hundred calls every day on atypical pneumonia, making it necessary to set up 24-hour consultation hotlines, He Xiong said.

The hotline offering English service is manned by staff with a good command of English and medical knowledge, as well as special training on atypical pneumonia.

The hotline provides information on how the disease spreads, prevention methods and how to react to symptoms similar to those of atypical pneumonia.

The Beijing Disease Control Center has also set up six emergency work teams to provide 24-hour medical service.

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