Chinese Leaders Mobilize Cities to Combat SARS

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Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Friday, May 02, 2003

Chinese Leaders Mobilize Cities to Combat SARS

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Hu Jintao Inspects Tianjin

President Hu Jintao and Premier Wen Jiabao visited Tianjin Municipality and Guangdong Province separately to boost local government efforts in combating severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS), which has claimed 170 lives.

The Chinese mainland reported 187 new SARS cases and 11 deaths in the 24 hours to 10 am Thursday, the Ministry of Health announced.

The total number of SARS cases on the Chinese mainland rose to 3,638 while 244 new suspected SARS cases were reported Thursday.

Beijing reported 122 new SARS cases and seven deaths from the disease, the ministry said.

Wen Jiabao Inspects Guangzhou

President Hu and Premier Wen urged local officials to understand the difficulty in fighting SARS and use scientific methods to defeat the disease.

They visited local communities, universities, supermarkets, hospitals, construction sites and scientific research institutes in Tianjin and Guangzhou to assess efforts to tackle the disease.

"People's War"

President Hu Jintao has called for a"People's War" against SARS and urged local authorities at all levels to be aware of the importance of the need to control the epidemic.

Hu, who is also general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, made his comments on May 1, while touring in Tianjin, north China, to see local anti-SARS efforts.

Chinese Premier Wen Inspects Guangzhou

Hu, together with Vice-Premier Wu Yi, visited the city's centerof disease control, talked with local scientists about SARS and thanked them for their contribution to the anti-SARS campaign.

The key to defeating the epidemic lies in bringing into play the important role of science and technology, the president said. Successful results achieved during the study of the SARS virus should be brought into use as early as possible, he said.

Hu also said China still faces grim situation in dealing with SARS. He urges relevant departments to mobilize all the people in society to take part in the fight against the disease. He has emphasized the strict implementation of early discovery, quarantining and treatment.

The president required local governments make efforts in maintaining the economic development while fighting SARS in order to reduce the economic losses to the lowest extent.

Greater Efforts

Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao praised Guangdong Province on Wednesday for its remarkable progress in the initial stages of the fight against SARS and urged leaders at all levels to redouble their efforts to prevent the spread of the disease.

Wen made his comments during an inspection tour to south China's Guangdong Province following his return from Bangkok where he had attended the special ASEAN-China meeting on SARS.

While in Guangzhou, capital of Guangdong, Wen visited schools, communities, construction sites and hospitals.

At a secondary school attached to the South China Normal University, Wen inquired whether there had been any cases of SARS on campus and encouraged students to exercise and study hard.

In a visit to the community clinic at Tianhe District, Wen chatted with residents and asked the clinic to provide quick and convenient services for locals.

At the Guangzhou Subway construction site, Wen extended festival greetings to workers on behalf of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China and the State Council on the eve of International Labor Day.

At the Guangdong Provincial People's Hospital, the premier called on all medical workers to make great contributions to the fight against SARS. He called on governments at various levels to look after the health of medical workers, improve their working and living conditions and celebrate their hard work.

After hearing reports presented by the Guangdong provincial government last night, Wen said the province had accumulated useful experience for treating SARS, but still faced an arduous task.

He said the number of new SARS cases must be reduced, cure rates must be raised and mortality must be lowered.

Resolute measures had to be taken to prevent the spread of SARS in rural areas and other areas without SARS cases. Medical teams should be sent immediately to rural areas and medical workers should be trained to prepare for the early discovery, isolation and treatment of suspected SARS cases.

Meanwhile, Wen called on officials in Guangdong to boost economic growth to minimize the negative influence of SARS on economic and social development.

International support

Meanwhile, the international community has voiced their strong support for China's fight against SARS.

European Commission President Romano Prodi on Wednesday sent a message to President Hu, saying the European Union (EU) stands shoulder to shoulder with China.

"We whole-heartedly support China's efforts to control and fight the disease. The EU is ready to provide China with assistance that may be needed in combating SARS," Prodi said.

German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder expressed on Wednesday his firm support to the Chinese government in its efforts to defeat SARS.

In a message to Premier Wen, Schroeder said he sincerely hoped the SARS epidemic in China would be brought under control as soon as possible with the co-operation of other countries and relevant international organizations.

South Korean Prime Minister Goh Kun on Wednesday spoke highly of China's fight against SARS.

Under the leadership of the Chinese Government, the Chinese people have been combating the SARS epidemic with great efforts and unity, Goh said in a message to Premier Wen.

Goh also expressed his belief that the epidemic in China will soon be under control.

He hoped China will maintain its speedy economic development and prosperity.

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