Posted on 06/04/2003 7:52:02 AM PDT by Judith Anne
Beijing, June 4, (PTI): China and the World Health Organisation (WHO) today differed over interpreting the dramatic decline in the number of reported new SARS cases in the world's most populated country, the epicentre of the flu-like epidemic.
"Based on recent experiences and the many uncertainties about the behaviour of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS), WHO sees a need for caution in interpreting the downward trend in the number of reported new cases in China", the UN organisation said in a release.
"SARS is still present in China, and WHO continues to regard China as the epicentre of SARS," Executive Director for Communicable diseases at WHO, David Heymann said.
"It is our job, together with Chinese authorities, to try to prevent this disease from becoming permanently established in such a vast country," Heymann said as China's Health Ministry today claimed the lowest figure of SARS since April 20- zero new SARS infection and zero new deaths -- during the last 24 hours.
China's top SARS expert, Zhong Nanshan said that SARS diagnosis in China was generally accurate and the misdiagnosis rate was very low.
Zhong, Director of Guangzhou institute of respiratory diseases who has been fighting SARS since late last year, suggested that the disease's death rate of 15 per cent as estimated by the WHO might have been an "overestimation".
Well, that's the last thread we'll see about SARS. Whew, that was a close one, but those Chinese sure know how to bring things under control.
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