Search China Travel News:

It was clear that the Chinese government at all levels have taken the threat of SARS very seriously, said the World Health Organization (WHO) in a press release. WHO has sent a delegation to Hebei, Henan, Guangxi and Anhui provinces during May 8 to 25. In the press release issued Wednesday on findings after provincial visits, the organization said that with the exception of Hebei Province, there seemed to be limited local transmissions of the SARS virus. "Henan, Guangxi and Anhui have had a small number of cases, few or no deaths and little or no local transmission of disease. Most SARS cases seem to have been imported from Guangdong and Beijing, "the press release said, but went on to say that in Hebei there had been a larger outbreak and more cases of local transmission. WHO attributed the stifling of SARS spread to three main reasons: close monitor of travel centers like railroad and bus stations to identify possible SARS cases, quarantine of people returning to rural provinces from infected areas, and widespread use of fever clinics for the diagnosis and isolation of potential SARS cases. The UN health organ also noted areas where it thought improvement could be made, which include regular update of all national guidelines on SARS, better infection control measures in hospitals, strengthening of general public health system, improvement of laboratory testing system in public health labs and in hospitals, more epidemiological studies, a review of the decision to implement the quarantine system which "seemed excessive at times to the WHO team," and continued vigilance and government support. According to the press release, WHO is currently finalizing arrangements with China's health ministry for planned visits to Tianjin, Shanxi and Inner Mongolia.