WHO NEWS

China faces nationwide SARS epidemic

On 23 April, China's Ministry of Health informed WHO's China office of 306 newly reported probable cases of SARS, including the first cases from the provinces of Tianjin, Hebei, Hubei and Shandong. The cumulative number of reported probable cases is now 2305. Beijing had the highest number of new probable cases (211), followed by Shanxi (38) and Guangdong (27). Twenty of China's 31 provinces have now reported probable cases, with another six reporting suspected cases.

Among health workers, 48 new probable cases were reported in Beijing and 8 in Guangdong, bringing the cumulative number of reported probable cases among health workers to 517. Beijing reported 10 deaths and Tianjin 2, bringing the cumulative number of deaths to 106.

A Cross Straits Conference on SARS is in progress in Beijing as this issue of the Bulletin goes to press, and is due to end on 24 April. It was organized by the Chinese Medical Association, the Chinese Association of Preventive Medicine, and the Chinese Hospital Association. Experts, scholars and health professionals from China, the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (SAR), Macau SAR and Taiwan province are exchanging information on SARS and discussing ways of improving case management and infection control. WHO staff attending made a presentation on the global SARS situation.