West China's Gansu Province has strengthened SARS prevention in its rural areas by establishing a reporting network.
All 306 villages in Dingxi County of the province, where SARS cases were found, have set up SARS reporting stations. Villagers can report to the station if they suffer fever or for a health check if they are returning from urban areas.
After receiving the report, the disease control department of the county will send an ambulance to the villager's home and make a diagnosis.
Gansu is an underdeveloped province and the rural residents there lack education on disease prevention. They are unaccustomed to consulting doctors if they have a fever or cough, which poses agreat challenge in SARS prevention.
On April 19, Gansu identified the first two SARS cases in the province, both of whom were returned migrant workers. The large flow of rural workers from urban areas makes the SARS prevention in rural areas more difficult.
The local government has made great efforts to prevent the spread of SARS in rural areas.
In Dingxi, the key region of SARS prevention in Gansu, disinfection is carried out in every household and every passing vehicle. Over 1,300 bus drivers and conductors in Dingxi are trained to identify SARS.
Primary and middle school students in the region are required to receive daily health examinations. The schools are only open to students and those working there.