Fears of Rural Epidemic Fading

Home>>Life

Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Friday, May 16, 2003

Fears of Rural Epidemic Fading

Fears that the deadly SARS virus would spread widely to China's vast countryside are lessening daily with no major outbreaks in the hinterland so far, officials said Thursday in Beijing.

DISCUSSION

CHINESE

SEND TO FRIEND

Fears that the deadly SARS virus would spread widely to China's vast countryside are lessening daily with no major outbreaks in the hinterland so far, officials said Thursday in Beijing.

But rural areas should remain on high alert against possible infections and work hard to minimize any negative impacts on the rural economy, they said.

"China's rural areas have so far not seen a large-scale occurrence of SARS cases,'' Vice-Minister of Agriculture Liu Jian said.

"But we should be alert to the fact that hidden perils still exist that could lead to the epidemic spreading to the countryside.''

Between April 26 and May 12, 115 SARS cases had been confirmed among farmers in 85 counties in 15 provinces and autonomous regions, accounting for 6 per cent of the country's total cases, Liu told a press conference Thursday.

Millions of Chinese farmers, who would travel to urban regions to seek their fortune, are being dissuaded and told to stay where they are. They are being given free treatment if they are diagnosed or suspected of having contracted SARS, Liu said.

The trend of migrant workers flocking back to their home village has been effectively curbed but 8 million of the country's nearly 100 million itinerant workers have already returned to their home villages, Liu revealed.

Liu, also director of the rural division of the national anti-SARS headquarters, said villages with migrant workers who have returned from SARS-infected areas have intensified quarantine and medical checks.

Liu conceded the health care system in China's countryside is poor. In particular, many hospitals are ill-equipped and inadequately staffed.

In addition to receiving more funding and running more training programmes, rural hospitals are receiving doctors from more affluent provinces and military hospital divisions, as well as respirators to help combat SARS, Liu said.

Qi Xiaoqiu, director of the disease control department under the Ministry of Health, said China is undoubtedly capable of containing SARS with the three-level medical network of county, town, and village levels and one million medical workers in rural areas.

Both Liu and Qi dismissed claims of disturbances or riots against plans to build SARS-related medical facilities in rural areas.

There was some interference in building work for the facilities in some rural areas, partly because some residents were ill-informed about SARS and panicked.

In addition, some local leaders did not have time to discuss construction of the facilities with the community because they were keen to improve local treatment capacity quickly, Liu said.

Han Jun, a senior expert with the State Council Development Research Centre -- a chief government think-tank -- said the detrimental effect of SARS on farmers' incomes and the rural economy should not be neglected.

Given that up to 70 per cent of the incomes of farmers in many provinces are derived from their work in cities, rural residents view SARS as the cause of a large dent in their earnings, Han said. The catering sector is shrinking and fewer other businesses in cities are offering jobs which means they will have fewer chances to make money.

Sales of farm produce are hitting bigger snags, as consumption and demand for agricultural products have declined significantly in urban areas in the past few months, the expert said.

Han suggested the government should cut agricultural taxes by a large margin, while investing heavily in rural infrastructure and township-run enterprises, so farmers can find jobs and gain revenue without having to travel to cities.

Source:China Daily

Questions?Comments? Click here

State Council Shields Rural People from SARS Costs

SARS-containing Measures Effective in Rural Areas

No Wide-spread Transmission of SARS in China's Rural Areas

>> Full Coverage

Int'l Community Aids China's SARS-control ( 2 Messages)

Feature:Nowhere to Find China's First SARS Infected ( 2 Messages)

Legal Framework for Tackling Public Health Crises Established ( 2 Messages)

BBC Leader Criticizes US Coverage of War against Iraq ( 5 Messages)

Vitamin C -- Effective Treatment of SARS: Australian Doctors ( 2 Messages)