Premier Wen Jiabao Tuesday urged increased awareness of the
importance and urgency of controlling the spread of severe acute
respiratory syndrome (
SARS)
cases in China's vast rural areas.
At
a State Council national teleconference which focused on the fight
against SARS and on economic work in rural areas, he called for
standardized supervision, enhanced guidance and the concrete
implementation of related measures to protect remote rural areas
from large-scale SARS infection and to ensure good economic growth
and social stability in the countryside.
Thanks to joint efforts nationwide under the supervision of the
Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and the State
Council, said Wen, China has made certain achievements in
preventing the spread of SARS.
However, he noted, the epidemic situation has yet to be fully
controlled, and the country still faces stark challenges in the
control of the contagious disease.
SARS prevention in vast rural areas is a key component of the fight
against the disease as it is vital to the health of farmers, to
rural economic and social development and also to the overall
success of the anti-SARS battle.
Wen underlined the importance of implementing nine major measures
in rural SARS control efforts, including strengthening leadership,
beefing up education and information publicity, improving epidemic
monitoring, setting up a rescuing mechanism, stepping up training
and offering free SARS treatment for farmers.
Though the fight against SARS is currently an urgent priority for
rural areas, Wen added, economic development remains the central
task for the countrymen.
The people across China, should, rallying still more closely round
the CPC Central Committee with Hu Jintao as its secretary general
and implementing the important thought of "Three Represents" in an
all-round way, strive to attain an all-round victory in the fight
against SARS and bring about rural economic growth by further
increasing their confidence and unity and surmounting all
difficulties, Premier Wen said.
(Xinhua News Agency May 6, 2003)