The Chinese government鈥檚 secrecy has been blamed for the still growing outbreak of super-pneumonia around the world that has infected over 1400 people and killed 54.
The president of Taiwan, which has 10 cases of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS), has been the most outspoken. 鈥淪ARS first broke out on the Chinese mainland, but the authorities covered up the information, leading to a global epidemic,鈥� Chen Shui-bian said on Friday. China initially admitted to five deaths, but a toll of 31, and 800 infections, since November was revealed on Wednesday.
The World Health Organization鈥檚 pressure on China for more detailed information about its cases of SARS finally bore fruit on Friday. 鈥淐hina has agreed to provide up to date reports and they will be full, frank numbers on a regular basis,鈥� said John Mackenzie, the WHO team leader in China.
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But WHO officials also warned that more SARS cases are likely to emerge in China, despite claims by the Chinese authorities that the outbreak has been 鈥渆ffectively controlled鈥�. Meirion Evans, another member of the WHO expert team, said: 鈥淭o say it is controlled means that there will be no new cases. At this point it is too early to say that it is controlled anywhere [in the world].鈥�
State secrets
The WHO, seeking Chinese cooperation, is taking a diplomatic approach. But other experts are less constrained. A Beijing-based international health official says it is unlikely that the SARS epidemic in China is restricted to Guangdong, Beijing and Shanxi, as the government claims. 鈥淢y guess is that it has spread to multiple locations and is affecting people in many places,鈥� he told AFP.
The authorities view the release of negative news as damaging to China鈥檚 international image and a threat to social stability. 鈥淐ertain communicable diseases are seen as state secrets,鈥� the official said.
鈥淚t鈥檚 not a wise policy,鈥� warns Hu Jia, director of the Beijing-based Aizhi Institute, a non-governmental body that has been fighting institutional neglect of China鈥檚 emerging AIDS crisis. 鈥淭he problem is that keeping the public in the dark also means that public health departments cannot prepare to address the disease if it continues to spread.鈥�
On Thursday, the WHO issued new travel guidelines designed to stop the virus鈥檚 spread. The organisation urged airlines to screen passengers departing from the worst-affected places, where all the deaths have occurred: Hong Kong, Hanoi, Taiwan, Singapore, Canada and Guangdong. Emergency school closures and quarantine measures have also been imposed in Singapore, Hong Kong and Canada.
Prime suspect
The identity of the virus is still unclear. But 鈥渄ata from many network laboratories indicate that a coronavirus is the primary cause of the disease,鈥� said Klaus St枚hr, co-ordinator of the WHO collaborative network of SARS research laboratories on Thursday.
鈥淭his virus is unlike any known human or animal member of this virus family. But it is consistently found in specimens from SARS patients from many countries. We are very close to knowing for sure,鈥� he said.
However, a potential role for a metapneumonovirus, another virus also detected in samples from patients, has not been ruled out. This virus is a member of the paramyxovirus family, which includes pathogens that cause measles and mumps. 鈥淔rom the symptoms, SARS sounds much more like a paramyxovirus than a coronavirus,鈥� says Yvonne Cossart, an expert in viruses at the University of Sydney. 鈥淪o, at the moment, everyone鈥檚 puzzled.鈥�
Teams in four laboratories are currently working on sequencing the new coronavirus, in a bid to determine its origin. Coronaviruses do infect a wide range of animals, says Cossart. Southern China, the location of the first SARS cases, is a hotspot for emerging infectious diseases, such as influenza, which mutate in animals and then cross into people.