标题: 'Fresh Sars case' probed in China [打印本页] 作者: 222 时间: 2004-1-11 20:04:14 标题: 'Fresh Sars case' probed in China
'Fresh Sars case' probed in China
The suspected case has yet to be confirmed
Health officials in Hong Kong say there has been another suspected case of the deadly flu-like Sars virus in the southern Chinese province of Guangdong.
They said a 35-year-old man had been isolated in hospital while the source of his infection was investigated.
Earlier this month, a man in the city of Guangzhou caught the virus, but he has since recovered.
That case was the first in China since the global outbreak last year that infected thousands and killed 800.
It's not clear to us how they [Guangdong] are arriving at a decision to identify a suspected case.
Bob Dietz
WHO spokesman
Investigators from the World Health Organization have been examining ventilation and sewage systems in the man's building to try to find the origin of his virus.
The authorities in Guangdong had ordered the culling of all animals that were suspected of carrying the Sars virus by 10 January.
Thousands of civet cats have been killed, mostly by drowning, electrocution and incineration.
The cull was extended to badgers, raccoon dogs and other animals served as local delicacies.
Definition 'unclear'
Dr Thomas Tsang, a spokesman for the Hong Kong Department of Health, said his agency received word of the latest suspected case from officials in Guangdong province, which borders Hong Kong.
There is no proof that civet cats are a source of infection
He said the new patient did not work in a job that involved handling wild animals.
WHO spokesman in Beijing Bob Dietz said: "There's always been a problem with case definition with Sars - actually identifying a case."
He added: "It's not clear to us how they [the Guangdong authorities] are arriving at a decision to identify a suspected case."
The WHO delegation in Guangdong has promised to leave no stone unturned in its investigation.
It has warned there could be a number of suspected Sars cases in the coming months because of its resemblance to other winter illnesses.
The Sars virus spread from China last year and caused a global health crisis in which about 8,000 people were infected