As of March 31, 1,190 atypical pneumonia patients had been reported in the inland areas of China, and 46 had died, Zhang said in an interview with Xinhua.

Of the patients, 934 have been discharged from hospitals fully recovered and another 210 remain hospitalized.

Guangdong Province, in south China, has reported 1,153 cases and 40 deaths, according to the minister.

In the national capital of Beijing, twelve people have been infected, however, the disease has been contained thanks to timely and effective measures taken by the local medical department.

The central authorities have expressed great concern and have issued instructions regarding the control of the disease, according to the minister.

The Health Ministry has sent leading officials and experts to Guangdong to help curb the disease, while local authorities have mobilized all resources to cure the patients, inform the public, and prevent the spread of the epidemic.

As a result, Guangdong reported 47 percent less of new cases in March than in February, with 507 more recovered patients discharged from hospital and the number of deaths dropping sharply, the minister said.

He said the origin of the disease has yet to be identified, adding that there has been no scientific evidence establishing Guangdong as the source though the province reported the first atypical pneumonia cases.

Cases have been reported in a number of countries and regions, but some of the patients have not been to Guangdong or neighboring Hong Kong, Zhang said.

The fact that HIV and AIDS cases were first reported in the United States does not mean that the fatal epidemic originated there, he noted.

The minister said China and the World Health Organization (WHO) have been in close cooperation and have achieved success especially in the prevention and control of infectious diseases.

Following the outbreak of atypical pneumonia, the WHO dispatched experts to China on three separate occasions at the invitation of the Chinese government.

Zhang quoted some WHO experts as saying that China's experience in controlling atypical pneumonia is very useful for other countries.

Chinese and WHO experts will go to Guangdong for further cooperation in curbing atypical pneumonia in the next few days, the minister said.

He said effective measures have been taken to bring the epidemic under control and to ensure that foreign visitors in China will not be infected.

According to him, the central and local disease control departments have stipulated a number of methods, criterion and guidelines for the treatment and prevention of atypical pneumonia.

Atypical pneumonia is a kind of pneumonia caused by mycoplasma, chlamydia, legionella, rickettsia, adenovirus and some unknown microbes.

Atypical pneumonia patients, who show symptoms of fever, cough and respiratory difficulty, are quite distinct from general pneumonia patients, who are infected through frothy saliva from respiratory organs.

The minister advised people to take the following measures to prevent infection:

-- Ensure strict hygiene, well-balanced meals, seasonal clothing, physical exercise, adequate rest and reduced stress, and avoid smoking;

-- Ensure adequate indoor ventilation and avoid crowded public places;

-- Go to hospital immediately if symptoms appear;

-- Do not visit atypical pneumonia patients; and

-- Tell children prevention methods.

(Xinhua News Agency April 3, 2003)