The combination of Western medicine and traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) is a safe treatment method for severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS), according to medical experts attending an international seminar in Beijing Friday.

The experts believe that the combination method can alleviate the breathing difficulties of SARS patients and help reduce inflammation, said deputy director Li Zhenji of the State Administration of Traditional Chinese Medicine at a press conference.

According to research reports submitted to the seminar, which focuses on treating SARS with the combination of Western medicine and TCM, SARS patients of identical age and physical condition enjoy higher survival chances using the combination method compared with those only receiving Western medicine.

The cost of the combination method, experts say, is also lower compared with the purely Western medicine method.

Research findings also show that of doctors and nurses treating SARS patients, those that had taken Chinese herbal medicine as prevention were all free from SARS infection during the SARS outbreak in parts of China in the first half of this year.

The experts suggested administering the combination method in the early stages as well as the full process of SARS treatment, and called for including TCM in the clinical treatment link of China's public health emergency response mechanism.

Preliminary statistics show that of the 195 hospitals in China designated for SARS treatment, 102 had sent medical staff trained in TCM to participate in SARS treatment. TCM was used in treating 3,104 confirmed SARS cases.

(Xinhua News Agency October 11, 2003)