Warning of long-term problems as nine die

NINE more deaths were reported from SARS in China yesterday as the country's premier warned the deadly virus was going to be a long-term problem.

He was speaking as Asian leaders hammered out plans to fight outbreaks that have killed hundreds and threatened economic growth.

China, harshly criticised for covering up the disease initially, reported nine more deaths and 202 new cases yesterday, most of them in the capital Beijing, as the virus raged unabated in the country at the epicentre of the SARS scourge.

Chinese Prime Minister Wen Jiabao, speaking to reporters at a summit of Asian leaders, said he was confident the virus could be controlled eventually. "There is a need for us to recognise the fact that the SARS epidemic is going to be a long-term, a complex, and relapsing epidemic," Wen said.

"We have learned our lesson. The Chinese government and the people have learned a lot," he said.

He added that reporting of cases had improved and the World Health Organisation was welcome to send teams to any hospital in China.

Asian leaders adopted a six-point plan to control the SARS outbreaks, which have killed more than 350 people and infected 5,500 in nearly 30 countries. It included rigorous screenings of international travellers, a SARS hotline, exchange of research and a call for transparency about the disease.

Leaders of the 10-member Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN), along with China and Hong Kong, were encouraged that the WHO thought the virus, which has no cure as yet, was already peaking in Singapore, Hong Kong, Vietnam and Canada.

But with the disease still on the rise in China, ASEAN was keen to get Wen's support for the plan, including pre-departure and arrival checks at airports and ports across the region.

ASEAN groups Indonesia, Singapore, Thailand, Philippines, Myanmar, Malaysia, Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam and Brunei. China has reported a total of 148 SARS deaths and more than 3,300 cases since SARS first appeared in Guangdong province in November. Health experts suspect the actual Chinese tally could be far higher.

Hong Kong reported 12 new SARS deaths but only 15 fresh cases yesterday a notable decline from the 20 to 40 cases a day the territory had been reporting. China said it was shutting down its stock exchanges from May 1 to 9, after earlier closing down nightclubs and theatres.