Governor Huang Huahua of south China's Guangdong Province Tuesday urged local governments at all levels to beef up efforts to prevent the spread of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) in rural areas.
Huang made the call at a provincial teleconference which came on the heels of a nationwide teleconference held earlier in the day by the State Council, China's cabinet, centered on the anti-SARS battle in the country's vast rural areas and on economic workin the countryside.
At the national teleconference, Premier Wen Jiabao called for increased awareness of the importance and urgency of the fight against SARS in the country's rural areas.
In response, Huang called for the mobilization of local resources in Guangdong for the rural anti-SARS battle, taking fullaccount of the local situation and in accordance with the requirements and spirit of the central government.
As a demonstration of its commitment, Guangdong will dispatch on Wednesday five work teams to supervise rural anti-SARS work in a bid to stem the spread of SARS in the countryside.
Guangdong, the site of the first reported case of SARS, still faces tough challenges in the combat against SARS, especially in its rural areas, said Huang.
Regarding the rural work, Guangdong has adopted five measures which include enhancing leadership, improving the monitoring mechanism, mobilizing grass-roots Party members to help farmers, increasing financial investment, and keeping a close watch on migrant workers, students, nurseries and kindergardens.
As of May 5, Guangdong had reported 33 SARS cases and four deaths in rural areas under the jurisdiction of eight cities.
(Xinhua News Agency May 7, 2003)
