BEIJING -China fired its top health official, canceled an upcoming week-long holiday and announced dramatically higher numbers of cases of SARS on Sunday in a move to gain credibility for its efforts to combat a burgeoning health crisis.
The new figures -- 346 confirmed cases of SARS (severe acute respiratory syndrome) in Beijing -- represent almost a 10-fold increase from the last numbers issued for the Chinese capital just days ago. China says 79 have died from the virus, which is believed to have originated in a southern province and began emerging in November.
So far worldwide, the outbreak has killed at least 205 people and infected more than 3,800, most of them in Asia. In the USA, there have been 35 confirmed cases and no deaths. By contrast, 60,000 Americans died from pneumonia in 2001, according to the National Center for Health Statistics. Still, SARS is causing worldwide alarm largely because it's a new, highly contagious ailment for which there is as yet no proven treatment.
World Health Organization officials greeted China's announcement Sunday with caution even as they said they were encouraged by the fact that the usually reticent regime admitted it had blundered and needed to take new, decisive action.
"The ministry of health has failed to take very vigorous effort and offer effective guidance to halt the spread of SARS," vice health minister Gao Qiang acknowledged at a press conference.
Gao's boss, health minister Zhang Wenkang, and Beijing mayor Meng Xuekong were dismissed from their Communist Party posts, which effectively removes them from office. Meng was officially fired today. Gao also promised daily reports on the number of new SARS patients and deaths.
In addition, Gao announced that a usual week-long labor day holiday beginning May 1 would be reduced to two days to avoid a massive migration that might spread the disease further. More than 74 million people typically travel during the holiday.
WHO officials last week criticized Beijing for being too slow to come clean about its SARS status. "These numbers represent increased efforts by China to report all probable and suspect cases of SARS," WHO spokeswoman Junko Mitani says. "We are encouraged."
As Beijing increased its numbers, Hong Kong saw some progress. For three days running, the daily statistics from the semi-autonomous Chinese territory have shown more SARS patients being discharged from hospitals than being admitted.
On Sunday, for example, 22 new cases were confirmed; 46 were declared cured. But seven SARS patients died Sunday and 12 on Saturday, bringing Hong Kong's death toll to 88.
Also Sunday:
* In Singapore, more than 2,400 people who may have been exposed
to SARS at a vegetable market were put under a 10-day quarantine. Singapore has
178 reported cases; 14 have died.
* In Canada, health officials said laboratory samples taken
from Canadian SARS patients suggest that the coronavirus may
not be the only cause of the disease. Canada has 304 cases and
14 deaths.
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