Posted by Professional Networkers on June 24, 2003 at 10:06:42:
Threats of other diseases plague China
Dangers faced include typhoid, hepatitis B and dysentery
BEIJING - China is facing outbreaks of other infectious diseases, prompting the health ministry to demand swift action by local authorities, state press said.
Just as the Sars outbreak appears to have been brought under control, the ministry has ordered all provinces and municipalities around the country to be alert to the dangers during what is considered the peak season for infectious diseases, the China News Service reported on Sunday.
The move followed an outbreak of Japanese encephalitis in southern Guangdong province, where Sars is believed to have originated. The mosquito-borne disease has killed 18 children out of the 211 people infected so far.
The news agency said cases of the disease had also been reported from south-western Guangxi province, while hepatitis B was prevalent in Yunnan and Sichuan provinces, also in south-west China.
Typhoid, meanwhile, has taken hold in Guizhou province, while tuberculosis has been reported in two counties in central Henan province.
There have also been outbreaks of dysentery in Tibet and meningitis in Hubei province, the agency said, without giving details on how many people were affected.
The health ministry warned that there must be no cover-up of outbreaks or delay in reporting them when they happen, the agency added.
Meanwhile, an emergency response system is soon to be established in Beijing.
Drawing on the lessons learnt from the Sars crisis, the Beijing municipal government is working towards the new network to coordinate its response to emergencies with those of grassroots authorities.
The system, headed by Acting Mayor Wang Qishan, is expected to involve 17 local commissions, offices and bureaus.
China yesterday reported no new cases of Sars and no deaths.
Beijing, the worst hit city in the world, has now gone 12 days with no new cases.
The Chinese capital still remains on a World Health Organisation advisory warning against non-essential travel.
-- AFP, China Daily/Asia News Network