Week of April 25, 2003

• INTERNATIONAL: Beijing Begins Massive Quarantine
• INTERNATIONAL: China Plays Host and Diplomatist for Talks on North Korea

 

INTERNATIONAL: Beijing Begins Massive Quarantine

Chinese and world health officials continue to the battle against the spread of Sudden Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS). In recent days, Chinese officials have quarantined over 4, 000 people and have sealed off at least two hospitals in Beijing, the hardest hit of mainland Chinese cities.

SARS, the mysterious flu-like sickness that has spread rapidly first throughout Southeast and East Asia and now North America, has reportedly killed over 200 people worldwide. The disease, which is suspected to have originated in Guangdong, a province in southern China adjacent to Hong Kong, has quickly spread infecting thousands of people throughout the world, killing over 100 in China alone. The World Health Organization (WHO) has issued a global warning for the disease, calling it a "worldwide health threat" and has attempted to work with the Chinese government to investigate the origins of the disease.

WHO officials have issued various warning over the last several months advising against travel to SARS infected areas that have included Greater China, parts of Southeast Asia and Toronto, which is the only non-Asian area with reported SARS deaths.