China will create a national task force to combat the deadly severe
acute respiratory syndrome (
SARS)
and set up a 2 billion yuan (US$243 million) fund for the
prevention and control of the disease nationally, it has been
revealed.
The moves were taken by the State Council at its executive meeting,
held yesterday, as Beijing authorities prepared to close schools in
the city for a fortnight.
The central government decided to set up the task force, known as
the SARS Control and Prevention Headquarters of the State Council,
to co-ordinate national efforts to fight the disease.
Vice-Premier Wu Yi was appointed commander-in-chief of the task
force and Hua Jianmin, a State councilor and secretary-general of
the State Council, was designated deputy commander-in-chief.
Late yesterday, the Ministry of Health announced another 147 cases
of SARS had been detected in the Chinese mainland in the 24 hours
until 8 pm Tuesday.
The daily count included nine deaths and 237 suspected cases,
bringing the Chinese mainland's total so far to 2,305. Of the
total, 106 people have died and 517 medical staff have been
infected.
Meanwhile, 1,231 people have been discharged from hospitals and
1,093 suspected cases have been reported around the country.
Beijing has 105 new cases and seven more people have died.
East China's Jiangxi and Anhui provinces yesterday reported their
first suspected cases.
The newly-announced national fund will be used to finance the
treatment of farmers and destitute urban residents infected with
SARS, in addition to upgrading county-level hospitals, purchasing
SARS-related medical facilities in central and western China, and
for research programs into the virus, according to the Ministry of
Finance.
To
upgrade disease control institutions in central and western
regions, the Chinese Government will allocate another 900 million
yuan (US$109 million) of national bonds.
The central government has also allocated 600 million yuan (US$73
million) for the initial phase of the China Center of Disease
Control and Prevention.
In
a major move, Beijing - which had up until Tuesday reported 693
cases and 782 suspected cases, as well as 35 deaths - will close
schools for two weeks from today.
(China Daily April 24, 2003)