China this year will amend its 1989 law on the prevention and control of contagious diseases to eliminate legal loopholes as part of its fight against SARS.

Monday's meeting of chairman and vice-chairmen of the National People's Congress (NPC) Standing Committee placed this legislation on its work agenda for 2003.

"The proposed amendment has been added to this year's agenda of the legislature and to that of the State Council," said Sheng Huaren, vice-chairman and secretary-general of the NPC Standing Committee.

"The legislation was not on the original agenda of the State Council for this year, but was added after the legislature discussed the issue with the cabinet," he said.

The State Council "is working hard" to formulate a draft which is expected to be presented to the NPC Standing Committee by the end of this year, Sheng said.

A proposed amendment to the law on the protection of wild animals has also been added to the agenda given the possibility of the transmission of SARS from wild animals to human beings.

The existing law on the prevention and control of contagious diseases was adopted in 1989, and the spread of SARS in some areas of China accelerated its amendment, an official with the Chinese Ministry of Health (MOH) said.

"The existing law does not contain specific measures for combating new contagious diseases, and the items covering the disease reporting system are too general," the official said. The items on prevention and treatment measures, such as isolation, are also far from practical.

By June 13, the flu-like SARS, as a new communicable disease, had hit 32 countries and regions, including China, and killed 792 people worldwide, according to the World Health Organization.

The amendments will include some of the effective measures taken in April and May this year by the State Council, the MOH official said.

The amended law will regulate prevention work on SARS and other epidemics and will also safeguard public health and safety, said Zhu Lilan, chairwoman of the NPC Educational, Scientific, Cultural and Health Committee.

A total of 43 new laws have been included in this year's agenda of the NPC's Standing Committee. Of them, the law on primary sanitation and health-care and the law on registered pharmacies are also aimed at improving China's public health system.

(Xinhua News Agency June 16, 2003)