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Beijing sees progress on SARS front
BEIJING, China (CNN) -- Beijing officials reported some progress Friday in containing the SARS epidemic in the Chinese capital, but the disease continues to sweep through the rest of China. "We have effectively curbed the upward trend of SARS cases," said Liang Wannian, deputy director-general of Beijing's health bureau. "The number of new cases seems to have reached a plateau, and the epidemic is showing signs of declining." Liang said the number of reported severe acute respiratory syndrome cases admitted into hospitals has dropped from 70 to 80 per day for the 12-day period ending May 2 to 30 to 40 cases a day for six days ending Thursday. "We can see the situation is turning for the better," said Beijing spokesman Cai Fuchao. "But the epidemic is still relatively severe, and we cannot afford to lower our guard." While Beijing officials said they are having some success in curbing the SARS epidemic, the trend is not carrying through to the rest of the country. China's Ministry of Health on Friday reported six new SARS-related deaths and 118 new cases. The figure is lower than Thursday's report of 146 new cases, but the number of such cases has been higher than 100 every day for three weeks. Fewer than half of the new cases -- 48 -- were in Beijing. Other areas where the World Health Organization has issued travel warnings showed new cases as well, including Inner Mongolia, Hebei Province and the city of Tianjin -- all in northern China. The new figures bring China's cumulative number of SARS cases to more than 4,800 and the death toll to 230. As of Thursday, WHO reported 4,698 SARS cases in mainland China since the outbreak began, with 224 SARS-related deaths. Globally, SARS has infected more than 7,000 people, killing more than 500, WHO says. Beijing officials cited developments they consider to be encouraging. The infection rate among medical workers has dropped from the earlier 15.8 percent daily average to 6.3 percent for the week ending Thursday, officials said. A total of 895 people, including 495 students from two universities, were released from forced quarantine Thursday after spending several days inside dormitories under close observation, officials said. They showed no SARS symptoms, officials said. These developments came a day after WHO revealed that the case fatality rate for SARS was 15 percent, nearly four times as much as an earlier estimate of 4 percent. The mortality rate fluctuates depending on country and age, with the U.N. health agency saying SARS is particularly dangerous for the elderly. More than half of those older than 65 die from the disease, according to WHO mortality rate estimates. Despite the outbreak, Beijing Vice Mayor Fan Boyuan announced that college entrance exams in the city will take place June 7 and 8 as scheduled. "The college entrance exams are very important to the public," Fan said. More than 80,000 students are expected to take the standard national tests, which will determine if they can pursue college studies and which schools they will be able to attend if they pass. Anti-SARS measures will remain in effect during the exams. "We will not allow various review meetings to take place, which would cause a large gathering of people," Fan said. Results will be announced by phone and via the Internet. Beijing authorities have ordered the temporary closure of public places such as theaters and libraries and suspended the approval of marriages in an effort to prevent gatherings where SARS can be spread. Russia is reportedly taking new steps to protect itself against SARS, with the government ordering the closure of some border checkpoints with China. In a flicker of hope, scientists said Friday the SARS virus does not change quickly, which may ease the search for a vaccine. They also said the lung damage suffered by patients could be due to a severe immune system response. (Stability offers vaccine hope)
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