China's efforts to curb atypical pneumonia that has claimed the
lives of 46 Chinese have resulted in a rise of recovered patients
and a drop of new patients, Health Minister
Zhang
Wenkang said in Beijing Wednesday.
As
of March 31, 1,190 atypical pneumonia patients had been reported in
the inland areas of China, and 46 had died, Zhang said in an
interview with Xinhua.
Of
the patients, 934 have been discharged from hospitals fully
recovered and another 210 remain hospitalized.
Guangdong Province, in south China, has reported 1,153 cases and 40
deaths, according to the minister.
In
the national capital of Beijing, twelve people have been infected,
however, the disease has been contained thanks to timely and
effective measures taken by the local medical department.
The central authorities have expressed great concern and have
issued instructions regarding the control of the disease, according
to the minister.
The Health Ministry has sent leading officials and experts to
Guangdong to help curb the disease, while local authorities have
mobilized all resources to cure the patients, inform the public,
and prevent the spread of the epidemic.
As
a result, Guangdong reported 47 percent less of new cases in March
than in February, with 507 more recovered patients discharged from
hospital and the number of deaths dropping sharply, the minister
said.
He
said the origin of the disease has yet to be identified, adding
that there has been no scientific evidence establishing Guangdong
as the source though the province reported the first atypical
pneumonia cases.
Cases have been reported in a number of countries and regions, but
some of the patients have not been to Guangdong or neighboring Hong
Kong, Zhang said.
The fact that HIV and AIDS cases were first reported in the United
States does not mean that the fatal epidemic originated there, he
noted.
The minister said China and the World Health Organization (WHO) have been in close
cooperation and have achieved success especially in the prevention
and control of infectious diseases.
Following the outbreak of atypical pneumonia, the WHO dispatched
experts to China on three separate occasions at the invitation of
the Chinese government.
Zhang quoted some WHO experts as saying that China's experience in
controlling atypical pneumonia is very useful for other
countries.
Chinese and WHO experts will go to Guangdong for further
cooperation in curbing atypical pneumonia in the next few days, the
minister said.
He
said effective measures have been taken to bring the epidemic under
control and to ensure that foreign visitors in China will not be
infected.
According to him, the central and local disease control departments
have stipulated a number of methods, criterion and guidelines for
the treatment and prevention of atypical pneumonia.
Atypical pneumonia is a kind of pneumonia caused by mycoplasma,
chlamydia, legionella, rickettsia, adenovirus and some unknown
microbes.
Atypical pneumonia patients, who show symptoms of fever, cough and
respiratory difficulty, are quite distinct from general pneumonia
patients, who are infected through frothy saliva from respiratory
organs.
The minister advised people to take the following measures to
prevent infection:
--
Ensure strict hygiene, well-balanced meals, seasonal clothing,
physical exercise, adequate rest and reduced stress, and avoid
smoking;
--
Ensure adequate indoor ventilation and avoid crowded public
places;
--
Go to hospital immediately if symptoms appear;
--
Do not visit atypical pneumonia patients; and
--
Tell children prevention methods.
(Xinhua News Agency April 3, 2003)