SARS Virus may be from animal - experts

(April 07,2003 )(China Daily)

Both World Health Organization (WHO) and Chinese experts Sunday refused to rule out the
possibility that the deadly SARS virus which has triggered a globalhealth scare may have
come from animals.

Guo Huiyu, a leading virologistwith the Guangzhou-based Sun Yat-sen University, said
the virus found in tests on some of those who have died were similar to those found in animals.
But further scientific tests will have to be conducted to establish the exact source of the virus
responsible for the current outbreak of atypical pneumonia, or Severe Acute Respiratory
Syndrome (SARS), said Guo.

A total of 1,153 cases of SARS were identifiedbetween November 16 and March 31 in Guangdong,
40 of which proved fatal. Of those infected by the virus, 361 were diagnosed in March, a drop of
47.5 per cent on the reported numbers in February. Alan Schnur, a member of the WHO team,
echoed Professor Guo. The director of the Infectious Disease Control Department of the WHO's
China Representative Office said his team would be collecting more samples from Guangdong to
further their research into the source of the SARS virus. SARS:

Question mark over origin Questions as to the origin of the outbreak, until widely reported as
the south of China, are also being raised. A Xinhua News Agency report quoted James Maguire
from the WHO team as saying that scientists suspect that the source of the SARS virus may
originate from a particulartype of animal and possibly not from China. Maguire said he and his
colleagueshad some primary conjectures on SARS, but had not come to any firm conclusions.
After four days of examination and investigation, the WHO team has found that most of the
SARS patients in Guangdong, apart from local medical workers, are employed in the province's
restaurant and food industries. "It is useful and valuable for experts to study the transmission
channels of SARS in the coming months,'' Schnur said. The WHO team Sunday visited Guangzhou
Centre for Disease Control and Prevention and had talks with local officials, experts, doctors,
nurses and even patients. They continued to exchange views on the prevention and treatment
of SARS with their local counterparts. In the four days since their arrival in the province last
Thursday, the team have visited Guangdong Provincial People's Hospital, the First Hospital
affiliated to Sun Yat-sen University, Guangdong Provincial Centre for Disease Control and
Prevention, Guangzhou No 8 People's Hospital, which specializes in treating infectious diseases,
and Foshan People's Hospital.

The WHO team have also had talks with Deputy Minister of Public Health Ma Xiaowei and Lei Yulan,
vice-governor of Guangdong Province, on Saturday. Vice-Premier Wu Yi also urged local officials,
experts and doctors to do all they can to treat those currently infected and prevent further spread
of the disease. The central government has already instructed health departments in Guangdong
and Hong Kong to directly exchange data on SARS, including the number of SARS patients, deaths
and treatment methods without having to wait for specific approval .

Both the WHO and Chinese experts believe that SARS has been basically brought under control in
Guangdong, with the number of new cases falling since March. Guangdong Vice-Governor Lei Yulan
Sunday reiterated that Guangdongremains safe for investors and tourists from both home and abroad.
SARS has had little affect on local society, Lei said, with local hospitals, schools, kindergartens,
shopping centres and entertainment venues all operating as usual. And the coming 93rd Chinese
Export Commodities Fair, the country's biggest trade event, will get underway as scheduledon
April 15 in Guangzhou, the provincial capital. The WHO team which consists of experts from the
United States, Britain and Germany will continue to visit more hospitals and patients in the coming
days to collect more detailed and valuable materials and samples aimed at finding an effective way
of treating SARS. The WHO team are expected to leave Guangzhou Tuesday. 

2003/4/7
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