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)