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Chinese News Agency Discloses that China Uses its Own Definitions to Classify and Report SARS Diagnoses (Photo)
Beijing is
rescuing suspected SARS patients with all its strength
(Clearwisdom.net June 11, 2003) A report from the Chinese News Agency on
Wednesday June 4 indirectly confirmed an earlier exposure by the Asian Times
Online, which pointed out that the sharp fall in the number of confirmed SARS
cases reported in China's was because that China uses its own definition to
consider what would be reported as suspected SARS cases.
According to report from Asian Times online on June 5, Chinese News Agency
reported Wednesday that a general manager, a deputy
minister from the Ministry of Geology and Mineral Resources, went on a business trip to
Mianyang City. He was diagnosed as a SARS patient. This was the
first SARS found in the local area. Until the morning when the report was
published, his state of illness was still not stable and he was in a coma.
It is heard that this official flew from Beijing to Chengdu on May 29 and after staying in Chengdu for one day, he went to Mianyang City on the morning of May 31.
It was reported that at noon, when he arrived at Mianyang, he
showed symptoms including lack of energy, fatigue and being
unable to speak clearly. He was later sent to the Central Hospital for
treatment. Through examination, doctors found out that he suffered from diabetes but he had no fever. However, on the afternoon of June 1, the
patient became feverish and his temperature reached 38 degrees centigrade.
A CT check showed that his lung had symptoms of light pneumonia. On the
afternoon of June 3, his pneumonia did not show a favorable turn, and in
addition, four doctors and nurses who treated him were found to have fever and
felt pain in the bodies. Local SARS prevention headquarters immediately invited
the Sichuan Provincial SARS control leading group to give an expert consultation
and confirmed on the morning of June 4 that this was a suspected SARS case.
Later, the patient was immediately transferred to a local hospital that was
designated to treat SARS and he was quarantined.
It can be seen from the Chinese News Agency's report that this patient was
from Beijing. He had a fever and symptom of light pneumonia. In addition, the
four doctors and nurses were also found symptoms of having fever and pains in
the bodies. According to the definition used by the World Health Organization, this case would be reported as a confirmed SARS case. But after the expert
consultation by the Sichuan Provincial SARS control leading group, the case was listed only as a "suspected" case.
No wonder the WHO continues to question the validity
of the number of SARS cases reported by China, claiming that it needs careful investigation.
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