MONDAY, May 5, 2003 (HealthDayNews) -- Unrest over the Chinese government's handling of the SARS outbreak erupted into violence in some rural areas of the country as villagers ransacked buildings and attacked local officials.
In a village located in the eastern province of Zhejiang, thousands of villagers protested in front of a government building where they suspected SARS patients were being quarantined, the Associated Press reports.
Some of the villagers broke into the building Sunday night and damaged furniture and broke windows. A few officials who tried to stop the protesters were attacked and injured.
Another incident occurred last week in Linzhou city in central Henan province. Villagers ransacked a planned SARS quarantine center and other medical facilities, Channel News Asia reports.
In Beijing, authorities announced they've blocked access to all water reservoirs in the capital in an attempt to ensure the SARS virus doesn't find its way into the public water supply, BBC News Online reports.
Boating, fishing and swimming have been banned at the reservoirs as Chinese authorities continue to impose strict measures in their efforts to stop the spread of SARS. That includes an order that all elementary and middle schools in Beijing remain closed for another two weeks.
On Monday, there were nine more SARS deaths and 160 new cases reported in China. To date, 206 people in China have died from SARS and the total number of cases reported there stands at 4,280.
Globally, SARS has infected 6,300 people and killed 461.
New information from the World Health Organization (WHO) says the SARS virus may be more resilient than originally believed, CBC News Online reports.
Research published by WHO suggests the SARS virus is able to survive outside the body on any surface for up to 24 hours and can live for up to four days in sewage. The research also found that the virus is able to survive freezing temperatures and treatment with a detergent that's used to sterilize contaminated areas.
But common disinfectants can kill the SARS virus in as little as five minutes, the scientists found.
Other than China and Taiwan, the epidemic seems to be subsiding or contained in other countries that were hard hit by the virus. Singapore, Hong Kong and Canada all seem to now have the upper hand in their struggles against SARS, BBC News Online reports.
Singapore, one of the most affected areas, reported Monday that it had gone 48 hours without any new SARS cases. The city-state also reopened a major food market that was at the heart of the SARS outbreak.
Hong Kong reported eight new cases on Monday. That's the 11th consecutive day in which the number of new SARS cases there has gone down or remained the same. Canada had one new probable SARS case reported Sunday.
While there's progress in those countries, WHO officials are closely watching developments in Taiwan, where the number of cases tripled in the last week and the death toll has climbed to 10, BBC News Online reports.
WHO health experts continued their visit to Taiwan Monday to observe SARS treatments in the island's hospitals. They arrived Sunday after China reversed its long-standing policy of forbidding any WHO officials to visit Taiwan.
China, which considers Taiwan part of its territory and under its jurisdiction, has always opposed any attempts by Taiwan to work with any United Nations agencies, including WHO.
More information
For more information on SARS, visit the World Health
Organization or the U.S. Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention.
