In The News

Chinese Scientists Say SARS Efforts Stymied by Organizational Obstacles

May 26, 2003
This article summarizes in English a story concerning SARS that appeared in the China Youth Daily. The story reveals the non-scientific reasons why Chinese scientists at the Beijing Genomic Institute, part of the global network on the Human Genome Project, did not succeed in contributing more to the scientific research on the Sars virus. According to the summary, the biggest lesson is how...

HK Researchers say Civet Likely Source of Sars

May 23, 2003
After months on a heightened state of alert due to the global spread of Sars, Hong Kong University's claim to have found the source of this respiratory disease is considered a "significant breakthrough." According to findings from genetic information, the virus responsible for Sars, coronavirus, has been "jumping from the Civet cat to humans." Civet belongs to the same...

WHO Shoots Down Assembly Entry Bid

Melody Chen May 20, 2003
China again succeeded in mobilizing its allies to block Taiwan's bid for observership at the World Health Assembly (WHA), the highest decision body of the World Health Organization (WHO). Taiwan's bid was rejected for the seventh time in a row. This year, however, because of the Sars outbreak, many countries decided to back Taiwan up "for humanitarian sake." Taiwan officials...

Diagnosing SARS in China

May 19, 2003
Highly critical of the Hu government's handling of the SARS epidemic in China, this New York Times editorial's charges are many. Mainly Hu is belittled for not disclosing accurate statistics and for taking punitive measures, thereby turning to "depressingly familiar Communist methods of exhortation and regimentation" instead of looking to modernize China's political...

Taiwan Makes Progress at WHO

Melody Chen May 19, 2003
Sars has certainly brought enough troubles to East Asia, but for Taiwan, it also means an opportunity to legally present the health situation of Taiwan at the World Health Organization (WHO). The Taiwanese Department of Health Chief is scheduled to make a presentation at the World Health Assembly, a major WHO conference, on Sars in Taiwan. Taiwan is also trying to join the WHO as an observer at...

Latest SARS Victim Is Clothing Industry

Tracie Rozhon May 17, 2003
Clothing manufacturers in China, Taiwan, Singapore, Vietnam and Hong Kong have been the biggest suppliers for the American clothing industry. With the Sars outbreak, however, many garment merchants in the US have experienced time delays when they want to examine the samples and inspect the production. The US Customs has decided to hold packages from Sars-affected countries for four days before...

China Threatens Execution in Intentional Spreading of SARS

Erik Eckholm May 15, 2003
In a remarkable judicial interpretation of existing disease laws in China, the Communist Party has issued new rules allowing for the imprisonment or execution of anyone found to be spreading SARS intentionally. Following severe international criticism for its handling of SARS, China has taken steps to improve the reporting and disclosure of the health threat. The official media has now begun to...