SARS in Beijing Residential Area Unlike that of Amoy Gardens: WHO

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Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Friday, June 06, 2003

SARS in Beijing Residential Area Unlike that of Amoy Gardens: WHO

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WHO experts did not see anything in Beiyuan residential area in Beijing resemble that of Amoy Gardens in Hong Kong, said Anne Brantsaeter, an expert with the World Health Organization at a press conference here Thursday.

The SARS situation in the Beiyuan residential area in eastern Chaoyang District has been contained and brought "under control", she said, adding that the last SARS case in Beiyuan area occurred on May 26 or 27.

No residential areas in the world, noted Brantsaeter, were likeAmoy Gardens in Hong Kong in term of severity of the epidemic.

"Those of you who are familiar with the Amoy Gardens situation should know that the epidemic increased rapidly within a couple ofdays," she acknowledged.

She recalled that the WHO had contacted promptly with Beijing authorities, which responded immediately and looked into the true situation of the disease in Beiyuan area. And she said the WHO waspretty impressed by the Beijing Center of Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) for what it had done.

The Asia Times alleged that the SARS cases at Beiyuan were being covered up and the situation there could develop to that in Hong Kong's Amoy Gardens.

The Beijing municipal government reprimanded on Wednesday that the figures, including seven suspected SARS cases and seven confirmed cases detected at Beiyuan had been included into the daily reports issued by the Chinese Ministry of Health.

WHO expert claims "good collaboration" with Beijing authorities

World Health Organization (WHO) had "good collaboration" with the Beijing authorities, said an WHO expert here Thursday.

Daniel Chin, WHO medical officer, told a news briefing that it was also the goal of WHO to "lift any kind of restrictive travel recommendations from Beijing, as well as to the rest of China," adding that the decision should be made by WHO headquarters according to certain criteria.

Henk Bekedam, WHO representative to China, said the organization will soon review travel advisories on the provinces of Hebei and Shanxi, Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region and Tianjin Municipality.

Chin admitted that WHO had problem on SARS classification with Beijing. "But I am very pleased to say, especially in the area of Beijing, we've done really excellent collaboration in solving thisproblem," he said.

According to the WHO criteria, the most important indicator to lift travel advisory is "the number of new cases that occurred in the given area for a period of time" Chin said.

"I think in Beijing we do not have much problem with the completeness of the reporting," Chin said.

Beijing has reported no new SARS case for the second day in a row, according to report of China's Ministry of Health.

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