China is still facing a tough task in controlling SARS, said Gao Qiang, China's executive deputy minister of health.

Gao Monday made the remark at an ongoing National People's Congress Standing Committee session.

Although remarkable success has been achieved in SARS (severe acute respiratory syndrome) prevention and control work in China, much remains to be done to prevent a resurgence of the epidemics, said Gao.

"Because we have not made satisfactory progress in SARS diagnosis, treatment and control, we are facing the possibility of a SARS resurgence," he said.

Gao said China is now in the forefront of developing countries in life expectancy and controlling infant mortality and danger to pregnant and lying-in women. Smallpox and poliomyelitis have been basically eradicated in China. Moreover, the country has successfully avoided serious epidemic situations after natural disasters several times.

But he stressed that China is facing a tough task in combating severe epidemics, such as plague, AIDS, tuberculosis and schistosomiasis.

The number of Chinese AIDS patients ranks second in Asia, behind India, according to World Health Organization statistics. The number of Chinese tuberculosis patients reached 580,000 in 2002, accounting for one-fourth of the world's total.

According to Gao, China has experienced more than 100 poisoning accidents annually since 2000. So far this year, China has reported 116 poisoning accidents involving 3,643 people, 89 of whom have died.

Gao said China has brought epidemic control into the national economic and social development plan. Various laws and regulations have been enacted to strengthen the work of preventing and controlling epidemics.

China has established over 1,000 disease alert and response stations, and a relatively complete disease outbreak reporting network.

The central government has allocated 800 million yuan (about 96.4 million US dollars) in 2002 and a total of 2.12 billion yuan (about 255.4 million US dollars) will be poured into western China in 2003 to improve the public health system there, Gao announced.

He said in the next three years, China will go all-out to perfect its public health emergency system, disease prevention and control system, and health enforcement supervision system.

(Xinhua News Agency August 26, 2003)