Thursday's South China Morning Post reported that the programs include two Chinese language documentaries to be broadcast on TVB Jade and ATV Home, four Chinese language talk shows and phone-in radio programs.

The programs are arranged to spread basic knowledge on the characteristics of the disease and preventive measures available.

Experts, including Secretary for Health, Welfare and Food Yeoh Eng-kiong, Hospital Authority Director Ko Wing-man and several other health department officials will be invited to the program.

The health department has produced a 30-second warning about atypical pneumonia to be aired on all radio stations.

It has updated its website to contain more information about the virus.

Hong Kong has also opened a hotline for consultations of the atypical pneumonia.

A health department spokes women said the radio announcement was only the beginning of a possible campaign on promoting protection from the disease. The department plans to send out similar messages via different media, like TV and newspapers, in the near future.

In a related development, the "index patient" of the atypical pneumonia was suspected of being infected in a local hotel, according to the Health Department of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Wednesday night.

Margaret Chan, director of the Health Department, said seven patients confirmed to belong to the atypical pneumonia cases in Hong Kong had stayed or visited the ninth floor of the same hotel.

She said three people were confirmed to have died from the atypical pneumonia in Hong Kong.

(Xinhua News Agency March 21, 2003)