China sacks health chief as SARS cases soar

GOVERNMENTS across East Asia were today considering tougher measures in their struggle to stop the SARS outbreak that has killed at least 205 people worldwide and infected more than 3,800 – most of them in Asia.

The moves came as China yesterday reported a nearly tenfold increase in SARS cases in Beijing and announced the sacking of its top health official and the capital's mayor from key Communist Party positions.

Singapore ordered all 2,400 workers at its largest wholesale vegetable market to be quarantined and shut the market for 10 days after several SARS cases were reported there.

One day after reporting a daily record of 12 deaths, Hong Kong recorded seven more as officials began re-evaluating the drug treatment being used in the modern metropolis one of the world's hardest-hit places with 88 deaths.

South Korea was considering a ban on blood donations by people who have recently returned from SARS-hit China, Hong Kong, Singapore and Vietnam. However, there is no evidence the virus can be transmitted through blood.

However, the biggest SARS-related developments occurred in China, which for weeks has faced allegations that officials severely mishandled the crisis and tried to cover up deaths and infections.

Just two days after President Hu Jintao threatened serious punishment for officials who didn't quickly and accurately report SARS cases, the official Xinhua News Agency said yesterday that Health Minister Zhang Wenkang and Beijing Mayor Meng Xuenong were fired from powerful positions in party committees and groups that shape policies.

The firings were announced just hours after a senior health official told a news conference that SARS has killed 12 more people in China and that the number of infections in Beijing has soared from 37 to 346.

The numbers raised China's total number of deaths to 79 and its cases to 1,814, said Gao Qiang, an executive vice health minister.

In a rare admission, Mr Gao said his ministry was not properly prepared for the outbreak and didn't give "clear instructions or effective guidance".

But he denied reports that SARS cases were intentionally hidden from investigators and he warned that "any such act will be severely punished".

Several nations have urged their citizens to avoid unnecessary travel to China, where the disease is believed to have originated. China also announced the cancellation of its week-long May Day holiday, which was to begin May 1, to reduce domestic travel.

The holiday has become a major way for the nation to boost its travel industry.