A senior official with the World Health Organization (
WHO) said Wednesday that China
had done "excellent work" in preventing and treating SARS in
Beijing.
Dr. David Heymann, WHO executive director for communicable
diseases, praised China's efforts in talks with officials of the
Chinese Ministry of Health.
Dr. Heymann, who arrived Wednesday morning for a two-day inspection
of China's severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) situation, said
the commitment made by governments at all levels in China and the
mobilization of the Chinese people led to the decline of SARS cases
on the Chinese mainland.
He
is expected to deliver his report to WHO Director General Gro
Harlem Brundtland Friday morning. "It will be a favorable report,"
he told Gao Qiang, China's executive vice minister of health.
The ministry's statistics show the mainland reported only one new
SARS case and no new deaths from the virus during the last 24-hour
period. The total number of hospitalized SARS patients was 589 as
of Wednesday.
Of
the 24 provincial regions which reported SARS cases on the
mainland, 12 had reported no new cases for over one month, five for
over 20 days, and some of the other seven affected provinces
reported no new cases for two weeks, Gao said while briefing
Heymann on China's SARS situation.
"Now it can be said that China has effectively controlled the SARS
outbreak," Gao said, adding that social life and the economy in
China was turning to normal gradually.
But he said governments at all levels, health-care agencies and the
public would remain vigilant and continue their effective anti-SARS
measures.
Gao said the Chinese government had realized the importance of
strengthening the public health-care system.
"China is now investing more in the health-care and sanitation
sectors, enhancing the training of health-care workers, and
establishing a nationwide disease control network and medical
treatment system, while strengthening medical and sanitation
systems in rural areas," Gao said.
During technical discussions with Chinese health officials
Wednesday afternoon, Heymann listened to reports from Jilin,
Shanxi, Hebei, Tianjin and Inner Mongolia, on epidemic analysis,
epidemiological studies, and disease control networks. He said the
provinces compiled the information "well and clearly."
Heymann said he and his team came to China with the aim to "better
understand" how China controlled the SARS outbreak in such a short
time.
China had been able to discover SARS patients and conduct rapid
contact tracing, which helped the country reduce the number of SARS
cases quickly, he said.
Praising China's "transparency and openness" in dealing with SARS,
Heymann said the WHO would provide any support that China needed to
develop national and regional public health surveillance systems,
and data processing capability.
"China is the key to the world's fight against SARS," he said.
Gao told Heymann that China hoped to expand cooperation with the
WHO in the entire field of public health, rather than anti-SARS
measures.
The WHO official again stressed the importance of global
collaboration in the fight against SARS, saying Chinese experts'
participation in three global networks of laboratory research,
epidemiological study and clinical treatment would promote the
international sharing of high-quality information.
(Xinhua News Agency June 12, 2003)