WHO Expert Expresses Admiration for Guangxi Medical Workers' Fighting Spirit Against SARS

The People's Daily, Thursday 15 May 2003

World Health Organization (WHO) expert C.K. Lee expressed admiration for the medical workers' fighting spirit against severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) after inspecting the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region disease prevention and control center Wednesday.

Guangxi was the first province to build an emergency public health network, which played an active role in preventing SARS, said Tan Mingjie, deputy director of the local health bureau.

Tan said 11 cases were discovered in the region before Spring Festival, and so far, no medical worker had been infected by the virus.

WHO expert Arne Brantsaether said he appreciated the protection measures the local medical workers had taken.

So far, 20 SARS cases were confirmed in Guangxi, eight of which were in Guigang city, home to more than 450,000 migrant workers employed in nearby Guangdong province.

C.K. Lee checked the reporting materials in the hospital of Huanglian town, Guigang city, and a quarantine area in Dadong village where some 330 people from 52 households were quarantined because of a diagnosed SARS patient in the neighborhood.

Responding to WHO expert Lisa Lee's inquiry, the patient's father said that all the things, including daily meals and treatment, were free in the quarantine area.