All the figures on the epidemic released by the Ministry of Health are correct, and the Chinese Government is taking measures to ensure the reporting of diseases is exact and transparent, said Vice-Minister of Health Ma Xiaowei at a press conference Thursday.

The Chinese State Council had added SARS to the list of notifiable diseases according to the Law to Prevent and Control Infectious Diseases. This means officials have a legal responsibility to report the epidemic in a timely and correct manner.

Some 1,025 patients -- 79.4 per cent of all cases -- have recovered and left hospital.

South China's Guangdong Province accounts for 1,213 of the cases, North China's Shanxi Province has recorded 32, Beijing 22, South China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region 12, Central China's Hunan Province six, Southwest China's Sichuan Province four and Shanghai one. All have reported deaths except for Shanghai.

Ma's ministry admitted for the first time that some SARS cases may have been contracted in Beijing, contrary to its earlier insistence that all patients were infected outside the capital.

As of Thursday, four people had died of the flu-like illness in Beijing.

"The cases in Beijing are mainly imported cases,'' Ma said. "But those people in close contact with the sick, like medical personnel and family members, may have also been infected.''

The number of SARS cases reported in Beijing is accurate and covers all the confirmed cases in all types of hospitals throughout the city, according to Ma.

There is one confirmed SARS case at the army hospitals in Beijing, which is an imported case from North China's Shanxi Province, Guo Jiyong, vice-director of the Beijing Municipal Health Bureau told foreign diplomats in Beijing.

Besides the two foreigners who were confirmed infected with SARS, two patients from the Hong Kong and Macao special administrative regions are also receiving treatment in Beijing.

No SARS case has been found in Beijing's educational institutions so far, Guo said.

"I believe the information provided by the Beijing Municipal Government is reliable,'' said Sergio Ley Lopez, Mexican ambassador to China.

"I think Beijing is very safe. Preventive measures adopted by health authorities are highly effective,'' he said.

An English hotline has been established to answer questions from foreigners on SARS. The number is 64212486. A new hot line will be set up in the near future.

To protect medical staff and prevent the disease from spreading, Beijing has expanded its research area and has placed those who have had contact with patients under quarantine and medical observation, Guo said.

He added that people under medical observation and have been diagnosed with SARS have been included in the 22 cases.

Ma said: "If results indicate that some of the group show symptoms matching those of SARS, we will immediately transfer them to the designated hospital and report to the World Health Organization and the press.''

"Quite a few people among the quarantined group will be discharged soon, once they have been confirmed SARS-free,'' Ma said.

He said the Health Ministry would send experts within 24 hours to areas where a new case was found.

China will improve its national reporting system and set up a notification and command centre for emergency response.

In another development, Foreign Ministry spokesman Liu Jianchao said at a regular briefing Thursday that China understands the precautionary measures taken by some countries to prevent the further spread of SARS.

"Meanwhile we still hope these countries will make proper and scientific judgments about the latest situation. Otherwise, the relationship between China and these countries will be harmed,'' Liu said, when asked to comment on Malaysia's decision to bar Chinese from entering the country due to the epidemic.

He stressed that the epidemic of SARS has been contained in China and most of the SARS-infected patients have left the hospital after recovering.

As of Thursday, 2,722 cases, including 106 deaths, have been reported by 16 countries. This represents an increase of 51 cases and 3 deaths when compared with the previous day's totals.

(China Daily April 9, 2003)