Another Hospital Quarantined in Beijing in the Fight Against SARS - 2003-04-25

Chinese officials have quarantined another hospital in Beijing to prevent the further spread of the deadly respiratory disease SARS. This is the second hospital in the Chinese capital to be quarantined this week. Additionally, Chinese officials stated that nearly five thousand individuals suspected of having contracted SARS are currently in hospitals in Beijing or under quarantine at home, with no permission to leave their residences or receive visitors. A local Communist Party spokesperson told reporters today that there are no plans to declare martial law or close airports and highways. Officials indicated that several apartment complexes, offices, factories, and hotels where some individuals are believed to have contracted SARS will also be quarantined. Meanwhile, the World Health Organization (WHO), affiliated with the United Nations, has urged countries affected by the highly contagious avian influenza to exercise utmost caution. The European Union, due to the outbreak of avian influenza in the Netherlands and Belgium, requested those countries on Wednesday to refrain from exporting poultry meat until next May. Avian influenza typically does not transmit from birds to humans, but last week the disease infected a Dutch veterinarian, resulting in his death. The WHO is working on preparing the necessary tools for diagnosing this disease and may succeed in doing so within three weeks. The WHO reports that some people in the Netherlands have contracted a mild form of influenza with symptoms similar to avian influenza, but their condition is not severe.