The World Health Organization (WHO)'s Executive Director for Communicable Diseases David Heymann has praised the Chinese mainland for having guaranteed responsible reporting of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS).
Heymann made the positive comment Monday at a news conference after winding up his one-day trip to Hong Kong.
"China made very well reporting. We believe that China will be reporting much more important diseases. We are, and I am, sure that China will be working very closely with the WHO. This is the guarantee we had last week in Beijing.
"There is no reason that they (countries) have to report anywhere, but a good world citizen reports any disease that may spread to another country. We anticipate that as we move through the 21st century, countries will take on more of a responsibility of reporting, including China, including others," Heymann said.
Commenting on the credibility of the Chinese mainland's reported fatality rate of SARS patients, Heymann remarked that dueto the fact that the Chinese mainland SARS patients are predominantly in the younger age groups there, the overall fatality rate tending to be lower there is of no surprise.
"The overall case fatality is an average. In Hong Kong, its about 15 percent; on the Chinese mainland, the overall is about 5.7 or 6 percent. If you look at the age of patients in China, it appears that the people in China are in a younger age groups.
"If you look at the case fatality rate of SARS, you must look at an average of different age groups. And from Singapore and HongKong, we know that the case fatality and people under 25 years of age is less than 1 percent.
"Between 25 and 65, it varies between 5 percent and 15 percent;and over 65, especially with people of preexisting (medical) conditions, it can be as high as 50 percent," he said.
(Xinhua News Agency June 16, 2003)
