Four foreign, one HK and one Taiwan SARS cases have been confirmed but discharged from hospital in Beijing, with the cumulative number of cases among overseas people in Beijing to be eight so far, a senior local official said at a regular press conference in Beijing Tuesday.

The Beijing United Anti-SARS Work Team held its fourth press conference in Beijing International Hotel at 10:00 am May 6.

At the press conference, Cai Fuchao, director of the publicity department of the Beijing Municipal Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC), Liu Zhihua, Beijing vice mayor, and Zhou Liangluo, head of Haidian District of the city introduced the working conditions of the work team and the latest development of SARS prevention and treatment in Beijing to both Chinese and overseas media.

According to Cai Fuchao, the cumulative number of confirmed SARS cases among foreigners and people from HK and Taiwan is eight so far. Of them, six including four from the United States, Canada, Australia and Kyrgyzstan, one from HK and one from Taiwan have been discharged from hospitals upon recovery. One patient from the United States is still in hospital for medical treatment and his condition is stable, he said.

Another case was a Finnish official with the International Labor Organization (ILO), Pekka Aro, who died of SARS last month.

So far, there are three suspected SARS cases among overseas people in Beijing, of which two have been ruled out; one suspected case remaining at present.

The one suspected SARS patient is from India and now receiving medical treatment in hospital.

The prevention and treatment of the SARS cases among overseas people in Beijing has always been a "very important task" on the municipal government's work agenda, said Cai.

(China.org.cn May 6, 2003)