Both World Health Organization (WHO) and Chinese experts Sunday
refused to rule out the possibility that the deadly SARS virus
which has triggered a globalhealth scare may have come from
animals.
Guo Huiyu, a leading virologistwith the Guangzhou-based Sun Yat-sen
University, said the virus found in tests on some of those who have
died were similar to those found in animals.
But further scientific tests will have to be conducted to establish
the exact source of the virus responsible for the current outbreak
of atypical pneumonia, or Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS),
said Guo.
A
total of 1,153 cases of SARS were identifiedbetween November 16 and
March 31 in Guangdong, 40 of which proved fatal.
Of
those infected by the virus, 361 were diagnosed in March, a drop of
47.5 per cent on the reported numbers in February.
Alan Schnur, a member of the WHO team, echoed Professor Guo. The
director of the Infectious Disease Control Department of the WHO's
China Representative Office said his team would be collecting more
samples from Guangdong to further their research into the source of
the SARS virus.
SARS: Question mark over origin
Questions as to the origin of the outbreak, until widely reported
as the south of China, are also being raised.
A
Xinhua News Agency report quoted James Maguire from the WHO team as
saying that scientists suspect that the source of the SARS virus
may originate from a particulartype of animal and possibly not from
China.
Maguire said he and his colleagueshad some primary conjectures on
SARS, but had not come to any firm conclusions.
After four days of examination and investigation, the WHO team has
found that most of the SARS patients in Guangdong, apart from local
medical workers, are employed in the province's restaurant and food
industries.
"It is useful and valuable for experts to study the transmission
channels of SARS in the coming months,'' Schnur said.
The WHO team Sunday visited Guangzhou Centre for Disease Control
and Prevention and had talks with local officials, experts,
doctors, nurses and even patients.
They continued to exchange views on the prevention and treatment of
SARS with their local counterparts.
In
the four days since their arrival in the province last Thursday,
the team have visited Guangdong Provincial People's Hospital, the
First Hospital affiliated to Sun Yat-sen University, Guangdong
Provincial Centre for Disease Control and Prevention, Guangzhou No
8 People's Hospital, which specializes in treating infectious
diseases, and Foshan People's Hospital.
The WHO team have also had talks with Deputy Minister of Public
Health Ma Xiaowei and Lei Yulan, vice-governor of Guangdong
Province, on Saturday.
Vice-Premier Wu Yi also urged local officials, experts and doctors
to do all they can to treat those currently infected and prevent
further spread of the disease.
The central government has already instructed health departments in
Guangdong and Hong Kong to directly exchange data on SARS,
including the number of SARS patients, deaths and treatment methods
without having to wait for specific approval .
Both the WHO and Chinese experts believe that SARS has been
basically brought under control in Guangdong, with the number of
new cases falling since March.
Guangdong Vice-Governor Lei Yulan Sunday reiterated that
Guangdongremains safe for investors and tourists from both home and
abroad.
SARS has had little affect on local society, Lei said,
with local hospitals, schools, kindergartens, shopping centres and
entertainment venues all operating as usual. And the coming 93rd
Chinese Export Commodities Fair, the country's biggest trade event,
will get underway as scheduledon April 15 in Guangzhou, the
provincial capital.
The WHO team which consists of experts from the United States,
Britain and Germany will continue to visit more hospitals and
patients in the coming days to collect more detailed and valuable
materials and samples aimed at finding an effective way of treating
SARS.
The WHO team are expected to leave Guangzhou Tuesday.
(China Daily April 8, 2003)
