Chinese Government Outlines Seven Anti-SARS Measures

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Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Saturday, April 26, 2003

Chinese Government Outlines Seven Anti-SARS Measures

The Chinese government has adopted seven measures to strengthen its work on preventing and containing Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS), Vice Premier Wu Yi said Friday.

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The Chinese government has adopted seven measures to strengthen its work on preventing and containing Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS), Vice Premier Wu Yi said Friday.

Wu told a session of the National People's Congress (NPC) Standing Committee that the measures are aimed at gradually reducing the number of persons contracting SARS, continuously raising the ratio of patients being cured and, obviously, lowering the fatality rate of the flu-like disease.

The first measure consists of strengthening leadership and clarifying the duties of officials. Wu said the State Council has set up a leading group to direct the prevention and treatment of SARS around the country. She said the State Council has sent three supervisory groups to 17 provinces, municipalities and autonomous regions to oversee the anti-SARS work in these areas.

The second measure consists of stepping up prevention in an all-round way to curb the spread of the disease. Wu said the State Council has asked all localities and government departments at various levels to prepare for repeated, large-scale outbreaks of the epidemic disease. It has required local governments to strengthen detection and prevention measures so as to be able to detect, report, isolate and treat cases of SARS at an early stage.

The third measure consists of arduously organizing treatment and raising the ratio of SARS patients being cured. Wu said the State Council has asked health departments at all levels to develop technical plans on prevention and treatment of SARS. All hard-hit areas have increased the number of hospitals receiving SARS patients and expanded treatment areas. Areas less affected or SARS-free have also designated hospitals for SARS treatment, she said.

The fourth measure consists of actively engaging in international cooperation and exchanges and concentrating resources on discovering the cause of SARS. Wu said health departments and institutions have already organized scientists and experts from various sectors to form a joint research team to find the cause of SARS. They have also established a network of SARS laboratories to promptly exchange relevant findings, samples and experimental information. At the same time, they have actively enhanced exchanges and cooperation with the World Health Organization (WHO), Wu said.

The fifth measure consists of setting up a crisis management mechanism for emergency public health cases. Wu said the State Council has decided to set up a crisis management mechanism for public health emergencies. The country will set up a nation-wide supervisory and monitoring system for public health and perfect the networks for disease detection, information and lab diagnosis, according to Wu.

The sixth measure consists of establishing a special fund for SARS. Wu said the State Council has decided to set aside two billion yuan (241.8 million US dollars) from its budgetary reserve to set up a treatment fund. The fund will mainly be used for the treatment of poor urban and rural patients and for upgrading and purchasing medical facilities in central and western parts of China. The central treasury has allocated 20 million yuan to fund scientific research on the cause of SARS, she said.

The seventh measure consists of strengthening SARS publicity and education. Wu said China has made daily reports to the WHO on the situation of SARS since April 1. She said that since April 21,the country has been making public announcements on the SARS situation.

Wu said the State Council has also urged relevant government departments to publicize health information through the media so as to improve people's ability to protect themselves against the disease.

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