Sars: WHO urges open reporting
09/04/2003 08:27  - (SA)  

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Beijing - An expert team of World Health Organisation (WHO) epidemiologists on Wednesday welcomed reported new cases of a fatal respiratory disease in Beijing, and urged "full and open reporting" from the Chinese government on the outbreak that has spread worldwide.

"We don't want to comment on rumour, but new numbers are coming so this is an encouraging start," Chris Powell, spokesperson for the WHO team said.

"We are always insisting that to address this outbreak you need full and open reporting."

There has been widespread speculation for weeks that the number of cases of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (Sars) in Beijing is substantially higher than officially admitted by the Chinese government.

In a report on Tuesday, TIME magazine quoted a signed statement by a local doctor saying Beijing's Hospital No 309, designated as the main hospital for Sars, has admitted 60 patients with the virus, of whom seven have died.

According to the health ministry, only 19 people have been infected with Sars in the Chinese capital, including four who have died.

"A failure to disclose accurate statistics about the illness will only lead to more deaths," the doctor, Jiang Yanyong, told the magazine, explaining why he issued the statement.

Powell said: "The WHO takes rumours seriously, but these rumours have to be officially confirmed, this is true in Guangdong as it is in Beijing and any other province of China."

The team, which returned from nearly a week in Guangdong province Tuesday, where the worldwide outbreak is likely to have originated in November, was briefing China's ministry of health on Wednesday morning.

They were expected to report that the outbreak in Guangdong appeared to be contained, but would urge renewed health measures nationwide to combat the outbreak, Western medical officials in Beijing said.

China has taken a beating internationally for its slow response in addressing the disease which as of April 8 had killed 104 people worldwide and infected 2 894.

China has been the hardest hit, with 1 279 cases officially reported and 53 dead, while in neighbouring Hong Kong 928 have been infected and 25 died. - Sapa-AFP

- SAPA

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