China’s ‘secrets’ key to SARS

The World Health Organisation says Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome incidences have largely peaked but China still holds the key to beating the worldwide crisis.

The World Health Organisation says Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome incidences have largely peaked but China still holds the key to beating the worldwide crisis.China bucked the trend in reporting another nine SARS deaths and 202 new infections yesterday, taking the death toll in the country to 148 and its total cases to 3303. Worldwide, the virus has killed at least 333 people. “It seems that (SARS) has peaked in all places that we know about on March 15, except China, and in China it is on the increase, unfortunately,” David Heymann, the organisation’s chief of communicable diseases, said yesterday. Most of yesterday’s new reportings were in Beijing, where 152 people were confirmed as having contracted the virus, taking the capital’s total to 1347. Hong Kong reported 14 new cases and five more deaths, taking the death toll there to 138 and the total number of cases to 1557. “China is the key,” Mr Heymann said. “It’s the unknown question in the whole formula. If China cannot contain it, then it can’t be removed.” Mr Heymann was speaking in Bangkok ahead of a meeting between Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao and ASEAN leaders last night to discuss the crisis Mr Wen’s first official engagement outside China since taking office in March. The leaders were expected to announce new measures to screen travellers for SARS at border control points. Hong Kong and Singapore now conduct temperature checks of all people leaving and arriving through their international airports but the WHO has been keen for China to step up its border-screening efforts. The leaders were also expected to announce the establishment of a new fund to research the disease. In Beijing, a clearly frustrated WHO representative, Henk Bekedam, called on Chinese officials to release more information about the state of the SARS crisis in the country. “We believe China is sitting on a wealth of information,” he said. “It’s time for that wealth of information to be shown to the outside world.” Dr Bekedam said China’s public health system had been “underfunded for the past 20 years” and was “barely ready to deal with a disease like SARS”. An angry riot shattered the Chinese city of Chagugang, an agricultural market town near the port city of Tianjin, two hours from Beijing. A mob at least 2000 strong ransacked and torched a local school building believing it was to be turned into a ward for SARS patients. In Hong Kong, officials have taken heart from the sustained reduction in the number of news cases of SARS. The WHO, which this week lifted its advisory against travel to Vietnam, has said it would take 20 days of no new cases before it lifts its advisory against travel to Hong Kong.(Source: The Australian, By Glenda Korporaal, Hong Kong and AFP, April 30, 2003)