"Your body temperature is 36.9 degrees Celsius, so it is normal," World Health Organization (WHO)expert James Maguire was told Wednesday before he checked into the Sofitel Hotel in central China's Henan Province.
A group of eight experts from China's Ministry of Health and WHO arrived in China's most populous province on Wednesday for a five-day inspection of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS)situation.
The group inspected carefully the fever clinic and isolation room in Zhengzhou International Airport after landing, and also held a meeting with related people in Henan, including vice provincial governor Wang Jumei.
Since the first patient was diagnosed with SARS on April 16 in Henan, 14 more cases were confirmed and 13 suspects were reported.So far, five patients have recovered, another five patients have improved, and the rest of the patients remained stable.
Wang said the local government highly valued the SARS prevention work and had invested 260 million yuan (30 million US dollars) towards it.
She emphasized the prevention work in the countryside, whose population makes up 75.6 percent of the provincial total. The province strengthened its management of migrant workers and improved the urgent response capability in the countryside as wellas medical professionals' protection awareness.
Wang said some difficulties still remained in the countryside, such as a lack of technical skills, prevention medicine and equipment.
At the invitation of the Ministry of Health, WHO experts have already inspected Beijing and Shanghai municipalities and Guangdong and Hebei provinces and Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region.
(Xinhua News Agency May 15, 2003)
