by John M. Curtis
(310) 204-8700

Copyright April 23, 2003
All Rights Reserved.

crambling to undo a PR nightmare from the SARS [Sudden Acute Respiratory Syndrome] crisis, Chinese authorities fired a top health official and mayor of Beijing. Since last November, Beijing claimed it only treated 37 cases with four fatalities, hoping to stem panic now costing China millions in lost business and tourism. Finally giving the true picture, Beijing admitted they've treated more than 339 patients with 18 deaths. Admissions of weakness don't come easily to China's Communist Party, denying the magnitude of the crisis. With an exploding population, poor sanitation and backward health system, China needs all the help it can get from Western communicable disease specialists. Only after the crisis spiraled out of control did China finally get the message that the SARS has potentially dangerous health and economic implications for the Pacific Rim and global community.

     Waiting several months delayed scientists from quickly mapping the disease, now identified as deadly virus, originating in the southern province of Guangdong, uncomfortably close to neighboring Hong Kong. "In responding to this public health incident," Vice Minister of Health Gao Qiang told the press on Sunday, "the Health Ministry's preparation was inadequate. Its disease prevention system was relatively weak," failing to acknowledge that the Health Ministry covered up the crisis to stem business losses and conceal incompetence. "Our requirements were unclear and our guidance was ineffective," said Qiang, admitting China's complicity in worsening the crisis. China's SARS epidemic has been the first black eye on President Hu Jintao since taking office in March. Killing more than 200 and infecting more than 3,800 worldwide, SARS ranks among the world's most deadly infectious diseases.

     Confronting China's official party line, the World Health Organization dismissed China's assertion that the country was safe for work, travel and recreation. Not buying the government's claims, several schools suspended classes, encouraging students to wear protective facemasks. When heads roll, it's a signal that the Communist Party's Central Committee takes damage control very seriously. "The leadership had to make a statement on this crisis, and these actions are akin to honoring a commitment," said an unnamed Beijing-based scholar, hoping that the firings signaled a new openness and transparency in Chinese government. Gao denied his government deliberately covered up the mushrooming SARS crisis. Instead, he insisted Beijing had no reliable statistics from numerous hospitals around the country. Only recently did Gao and an extensive inspection team collect reliable data on SARS.

     Despite Gao's contention, a senior military physician claimed that the Ministry of Health ordered a coverup of SARS cases in military hospitals. According to Chinese doctors, falsifying hospital records is a common practice, skewing mortality rates and stats to win incentives from government agencies. Telling the real story, the Ministry of Health flip-flopped, now issuing a travel warning during China's popular Mayday holiday season. "I think this measure will cause great losses in China's tourism revenues," Gao said. "But the Chinese government wants to make people's and health the first priority," finally acknowledging that China faces a serious health crisis from SARS. Mortality rates continued to climb in Hong Kong with 18 more SARS death recorded over the weekend, revising death rates to over 5%. Hong Kong officials discounted growing concerns, claiming that SARS was under control.

     Most disturbing was acting chief of Hong Kong's Hospital Authority Ko Wing-man who boasted about delivering the world's best treatment for SARS. "We still have the best treatment anywhere on the earth," said Ko, implying that China had the wherewithal to contain SARS from spreading beyond its borders. Had Beijing faced the SARS crisis squarely, it could have taken steps to quarantine infected patients and prevent the current global crisis. Singapore Prime Minister Goh Chok Tong wasn't too optimistic, fearing SARS could threaten his country beyond its current 178 cases and 16 deaths. Travel warnings now associated with SARS have adversely affected Singapore's international commerce and tourism, reducing economic growth by 2-3%. When you multiply Singapore's problems globally, China's SARS epidemic could spark a global economic slowdown.

     China's failure to publicly acknowledge and take urgent steps to contain the SARS outbreak has caused an international epidemic and financial upheaval. With the global economy on shaky ground, the world didn't need another plague to make matters worse. Spreading to 20 countries and five continents, the SARS epidemic reveals how politics interferes with dangerous health care crises. Instead of fearing world opinion and economic consequences, Beijing should have asked the World Health Organization for immediate help to contain a growing crisis. By delaying action, China caused SARS to get out of hand, infecting untold numbers and spreading economic malaise. Firing key bureaucrats is a step in the right direction but doesn't undo damage from inaction. Communicable disease experts know that the specific nature of the SARS virus and primary mode of transmission. It's now up to Beijing to act responsibly.

About the Author

John M. Curtis writes politically neutral commentary analyzing spin in national and global news. He's editor of OnlineColumnist.com and author of Dodging The Bullet and Operation Charisma.

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