International   

Five more die of SARS in China

BEIJING APRIL 6. A Finnish man died Sunday in Beijing of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS), becoming the first foreign fatality in China from the disease, the Health Ministry said. It said five more Chinese people also had died, raising mainland China's death toll to 52.

Pekka Aro (53), showed symptoms of the flu-like disease after flying to Beijing from Thailand on March 23, said Liu Peilong, head of the Health Ministry's Department for International Cooperation. Mr. Liu said he was sent to Beijing's Ditan Hospital on April 2, where he died early on Sunday.

Mr. Aro worked for the International Labour Organisation as director of its Skills Development Department, Mr. Liu said at a hastily called news conference.

Two people have died from the disease in Thailand, where Mr. Aro had stayed for five days. It wasn't known where else he had recently travelled.

Mr. Liu said the newest Chinese victims had died since Wednesday, but he didn't give any other details about them. He didn't say where they died, but said most of China's SARS cases were in the southern province of Guangdong. A second foreigner — a Canadian — is hospitalised in Beijing with SARS, Mr. Liu said. He didn't give any details about the patient's identity or condition, or say whether the person was a resident of Beijing. — AP

Printer friendly page  
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

International

News: Front Page | National | Southern States | Other States | International | Opinion | Business | Sport | Miscellaneous |
Advts: Classifieds | Employment | Obituary |

Stories in this Section

• `Significant combat ahead'
• Russian Ambassador, diplomats wounded
• Saddam regime hanging on to illusions, says U.S.
• Condoleezza in Moscow for talks
• Pak. team to hold talks with U.S. on terrorism
• Five more die of SARS in China
• Chandrika to brief India on peace talks
• U.N. is still relevant, says Goh
• U.S. employs psychological tactics
• 86 killed in Honduran prison riot
• Return from exile
• War to top summit agenda
• Musharraf, Jamali review international situation

Copyright © 2003, The Hindu. Republication or redissemination of the contents of this screen are expressly prohibited without the written consent of The Hindu