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Hospitals in China battle SARS burdenNumber of cases continues to climb
BEIJING, China (CNN) -- Hospital officials in Beijing, China, said scores of medical workers are leaving their jobs as the number of cases of the deadly SARS virus continues to soar. Nurses and doctors are struggling to operate at designated SARS hospitals, where support staff have quit in droves, according to state media. The news comes as China reported 160 new cases of the virus and nine new deaths, with no indication that the infection rate has peaked or is under control. Elsewhere in Asia, however, signs are hopeful that efforts to contain severe acute respiratory syndrome may be gaining ground. In Hong Kong, authorities said Monday there had been three deaths and eight new infections, according to the Reuters news agency. Just a few weeks ago, the daily infection tally in the former British colony had been up in the 70s, with the death rate peaking at a daily total of 12. Meanwhile in Singapore, which has had the third highest SARS death toll in the world, authorities said there had been no new cases in 48 hours, Reuters reported. Although encouraged by the drop of infections, the Singapore government is warning against complacency. "Our biggest danger now is ... to relax the efforts which we have put in," Deputy Prime Minister Tony Tan told Reuters. With scientists working around the clock in the hunt for a cure for SARS, the World Health Organization announced Sunday that researchers had discovered the virus could be more resilient than first thought. According to the new findings, the virus can survive for several days in human waste. (Full story) Political falloutSARS is thought to have originated in southern China in November, and the country remains the focus of the disease. Of the latest new infections, 98 were reported in Beijing, with Shanxi Province in northern China registering the second highest number of infections. Figures in the past few days have indicated the disease is spreading in northern China -- although at a slower rate than in Beijing. The Chinese capital remains the most affected part of the country, with 1,897 cases on record. At least 15,000 people have been quarantined in a number of locations around Beijing, including residential buildings and structures on college campuses. The Chinese Ministry of Health described some of those under quarantine as having SARS symptoms, while most were simply suspected of having had contact with SARS patients. The battle to contain SARS in China is having political repercussions, with state-run media reporting Monday that several officials in northern Hebei Province had been fired for failing to carry out anti-SARS measures. Over the weekend, officials in two other provinces were relieved of their duties. Chinese health officials said they are especially concerned about boosting rural health-care resources, with efforts aimed at guarding the possibility that migrant workers fleeing the capital might bring the infection back to their hometowns. According to the health ministry, the national death toll stands at 206, and the total number of SARS cases in mainland China has reached 4,280. As of Saturday, the World Health Organization puts the worldwide number of confirmed cases at more than 6,200.
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