China's Ministry of Public Health reported one new suspected
SARS case in the 24-hour period ending at 10:00 AM Wednesday. The
patient, surnamed Zhang, is now in critical condition according to
the ministry's daily report.
Zhang is a 49-year-old retired doctor. She was once treated in
the same hospital ward as Li, Beijing's only confirmed SARS
case.
Placed in isolation at Beijing's Ditan Hospital on the evening
of April 22, the patient reported respiratory distress as well as
other chronic diseases.
She was admitted for a lung infection in Jiangong Hospital on
April 12, reported fever on April 19 and transferred to Ditan
Hospital on April 22.
Zhang's clinical symptoms and the epidemiological investigation
led the Ministry of Health to declare her a suspected SARS case on
the afternoon of April 27.
Beijing's confirmed SARS patient, Li, is in relatively stable
condition and has had a normal temperature for 12 consecutive
days.
The six suspected SARS patients in Beijing remain in Beijing
Ditan Hospital, according to the ministry's report.
One person under medical observation in Beijing reported fever;
13 others have been removed from observation.
The SARS patient in Anhui Province, surnamed Song, continues to
recover. Her temperature has been normal for five consecutive days.
None of her close contacts have shown abnormal symptoms so far and
38 have been removed from observation.
China's Health Ministry said there have been 18 visitors from
Australia, Russia, South Korea and Japan to the Institute of
Virology, Chinese Center for Disease Prevention and Control (CDC),
where one confirmed and one suspected SARS case worked for a period
of time.
The ministry has informed the visitors, the countries concerned
and the World Health Organization. No indications of problems have
yet been reported.
It is believed that the SARS cases on the Chinese mainland now
can be traced to a laboratory infection.
Since April 22, the mainland has reported one confirmed and one
suspected SARS case in Anhui, and one confirmed and six suspected
SARS cases in Beijing.
No other provinces, autonomous regions and municipalities have
reported diagnosed or suspected SARS case.
(Xinhua News Agency April 28, 2004)