WHO experts Tuesday said it was too early to claim that the SARS crisis has been contained in China. But they were encouraged by efforts to control the disease in Beijing and other regions of the country.
WHO China official Keiji Fukuda told reporters that new cases were still being reported in Beijing involving people who had no known contact with other SARS patients.
This uncertainty ruled out positive pronouncements that the disease is completely under control.
The Chinese mainland reported fewer than 100 new SARS cases for the fourth straight day, raising hopes the country has contained the disease.
A total of 80 new SARS cases were reported by the Ministry of Health in the 24 hours to 10 am Tuesday. Of these, 57 had previously been suspected cases while there were 10 deaths and 84 new suspected cases.
The Chinese mainland has recorded 5,086 SARS cases, 2,412 suspected cases and 262 deaths in 25 provinces and regions.
A total of 1,765 patients have recovered from the disease with 3,059 SARS patients currently receiving hospital treatment.
By Monday, the cumulative number of SARS cases and deaths caused by the virus in the world have increased to 7,447 and 552 respectively, according to the WHO website.
Meanwhile, the WHO and the central government of China have agreed that China should seize the opportunity of fighting SARS to improve its public health system, said WHO expert Daniel Chin.
The press conference was attended by WHO experts who have finished investigations in North China's Hebei Province and who are now co-operating with Chinese health chiefs in Beijing.
A surveillance system and case reports in Hebei are complete, but analysis of the data in the region, as well as other regions of the country, needs to be improved, said James Maguire, a member of the five-strong WHO team who visited Hebei.
WHO experts have also been invited to visit South China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region.
More teams comprising experts from the WHO and the Ministry of Health will leave Wednesday for Central China's Henan Province and will also visit East China's Anhui Province, WHO officials said.
In another development Tuesday, Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Zhang Qiyue thanked the international community for supporting and aiding China's fight against SARS.
More countries and international organizations have offered help and support in recent days. The foreign ministers of many nations and heads of international organizations have phoned Foreign Minister Li Zhaoxing, expressing sympathy over the SARS outbreak in China and their support for the country's fight against the epidemic, she said.
"China is very grateful for the international community's support and help," she said.
(China Daily May 14,2003)
