Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
Rome (Fides Service) - Two suspected cases of SARS in Beijing have been confirmed and one of the patients is in critical conditions.
According to official sources at least 800 people are in quarantine, 700 in the capital and 70 in Anhui province where it is feared there may be a second nucleus of infection.
Yesterday and today members of the World Health Organisation experts in epidemology and virology infection control and bio-security have arrived in Beijing to identify beds of infection and keep them under control to prevent the virus from spreading. WHO spokesman said for the second time in two days that these cases of SARS are “do not represent a threat to public health”.
One of the two nurses at the Institute of Virology in Beijing which have contracted SARS comes from Hefei, nell’Anhui and before realising her condition she made several journeys to Hefei.
The newly confirmed case is a 49 year old woman doctor being treated at Jiangong Hospital. She shared the same room with the nurse who was the first case of this new outbreak of SARS in the capital.
In view of a week long May Day holiday in China when millions of people will be on the move, the authorities are trying to reassure the people. Xinhua Liang Wannian, vice director of the Health Office in Beijing has announced that people could be confident “that the government is able to keep SARS under control ”. (AP) (29/4/2004 Agenzia Fides; Righe:27; Parole:282)
