The World Bank has granted China an 11.5-million-US-dollar loan and
10 million dollars of foreign donations to strengthen its capacity
to prevent the possible re-emergence of SARS and other infectious
diseases.
The ministries of Health and Finance launched the SARS and
Infectious Disease Response Program jointly with the World Bank
here Monday.
The program focused on addressing SARS diagnosis, clinical
management, and infection control needs "in the event that there is
a future re-emergence of the disease", said a health ministry
official.
The two-year program also aimed to strengthen the public
healthsystem's capacity to handle infectious disease prevention and
control through improved surveillance and reporting systems, and to
set up alert and response mechanisms to address public health
crises.
The World Bank loan and the 10-million-dollar fund donated by
Britain, Canada and Japan would be allocated to eight Chinese
regions most seriously hit by severe acute respiratory syndrome:
Shanxi, Guangdong, Hebei, Guangxi and Henan Provinces, Beijing
andTianjin municipalities and the Inner Mongolia Autonomous
Region.
Wang Longde, vice health minister, said the program would be
implemented in line with the nation's "post-SARS strategies", which
included establishing a response mechanism for public
healthemergencies, improving information-collecting and
disease-control systems.
With the assistance of the international community, China
wouldconduct further research on the origin of the SARS virus, its
epidemiological pattern and clinical treatment, Wang said.
The Chinese mainland has recorded 5,326 SARS cases, including 347
fatalities. The Health Ministry reported Monday that 23 SARS
patients were still hospitalized in Beijing and two remained
suspect cases in Guangdong.
(Xinhua News Agency July 8, 2003)
