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SARS wreaks havoc in Shanxi
province
By Miao Ye
SHANXI
PROVINCE, China - Most news stories regarding the spread
of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) focus on the
Guangdong-Hong Kong area, which has been hit the hardest
by the epidemic so far. Beijing is also becoming more of
a story, with rumors of 100-200 cases or more. But what
about Shanxi province in central China?
Economically less important than Guangdong or
Beijing, Shanxi has proved itself conducive to the
spread of SARS; it could plausibly serve as a
springboard for the virus to make inroads into
northwestern and northeastern China, which are less
socially stable than the areas where SARS infections
have been most numerous. In Shanxi province's Qingxu
county, primary-school classes are suspended and
restaurants have closed indefinitely. In just one
hospital in the provincial capital of Taiyuan alone,
there are more than 40 SARS patients.
Owing to
its SARS situation worsening significantly in recent
weeks, Shanxi has become a major source of concern. On
Tuesday the province announced that it had 82 infected
patients, 20 times the infection rate in March. As of
Tuesday seven people had died. However, as an Asia Times
Online reporter has witnessed, Shanxi's SARS situation
is much more serious than can be gleaned from these
official numbers - Qingxu county on the outskirts of
Taiyuan is in essence paralyzed.
Schools,
restaurants closed
The outbreak of SARS in Qingxu
county is possibly the most serious in China. Before
ATol's journey to the county, people who were aware of
the situation there warned that Qingxu now finds itself
in a bizarre time, and that unless you absolutely must
go, you should not visit Qingxu. People our reporter met
spoke of SARS affecting a great portion of Qingxu's
population, including the chairman of the local
political consultative conference, his driver, the party
committee secretary of Mayu town, and so on.
It
was apparent upon arrival in Qingxu county that there
were virtually no pedestrians on the street. The few
people outside said that the number of people venturing
outdoors had dropped noticeably a few weeks ago, but
since then it has also noticeably decreased. The
hospitality industry has already been hurt by SARS -
numerous restaurants simply closed their doors for an
"extended holiday". Local hospitals have been affected
as well, nobody dares see a doctor. Locals say that at
most, hospitals have two or three patients a day. It is
believed that there have been at least 30 suspected SARS
cases and three deaths in Qingxu.
The earliest
case of SARS in Qingxu county is said to be the party
committee secretary of Mayu town, who was infected while
in Guangdong province in February on official business.
Then in March the chairman of the local political
consultative conference went to visit SARS patients in
Beijing, during which he was infected with SARS. Due to
the severity of the SARS epidemic, Qingxu county closed
all of its kindergartens, primary schools and high
schools, but not graduate schools, for half a month
starting April 6.
Qingxu county has drafted a
"blacklist" of the more than 30 people suspected of
being infected with SARS. The list has been distributed
throughout the county so people who may have been
exposed to SARS can take appropriate measures. SARS
infections were discovered in a dormitory at 11 Tonghu
Street - now the large building is empty. People who
used to live in the building are feared to have been
infected with SARS, but they have all left, fanning out
in every direction to live elsewhere.
It is said
that the worst period in Qingxu's SARS saga so far was
during the end of March and the beginning of April.
During that time, the entire county was gripped by
panic. Many people were constantly ingesting traditional
Chinese herbal remedies and getting special protein
injections to boost their immune systems. The injections
were on sale at every hospital and clinic.
In
fact, in early March the World Health Organization (WHO)
had already listed Shanxi as an affected area, with four
SARS cases. As of Tuesday the number had reached 82
cases. Shanxi constantly declared the spread of SARS to
be under effective control, yet the number of cases
increased by a factor of 20 in one month. In our
reporter's opinion, it is possible that things in Shanxi
will get much worse.
Taiyuan hospitals hit
hard
In Taiyuan, the only area officially
recognized by the province as being affected by SARS, it
is uncommon to see people wearing surgical masks. Life
is proceeding as it normally does. On Taiyuan's bustling
streets and in its crowded restaurants, one gets the
feeling that there is no way that SARS could exist here.
Indeed, the local media's mantra has always been
"Taiyuan is safe". On the surface, Taiyuan's SARS
situation appears to be non-problematic, but in reality
it is disturbingly serious.
According to a
doctor at Taiyuan Medical University Hospital, his
university-affiliated hospital alone has already treated
more than 40 SARS patients, and it is not even a
hospital specializing in SARS. At the Taiyuan Municipal
Infection Hospital it is even more serious. A hospital
source said, "Now it seems on the surface as if there is
no SARS problem in Taiyuan. On the street you can't find
people wearing surgical masks, people are going about
things as they always do. But I know that if three
people have died, the actual situation is certainly much
worse."
The earliest case of SARS in Taiyuan was
a woman surnamed Li of Shanxi Shangbao, a provincial
business publication. In March she went to Guangdong on
official business, and in Taiyuan her diagnosis was
inconclusive. Li went to Beijing for medical treatment,
and her parents were infected while they cared for her,
both of whom ultimately succumbed to SARS. During her
treatment, 10 others were infected. Li has recovered
from SARS. Afterward, many businesses in Taiyuan began
to take SARS seriously - distributing Chinese medicine
to employees and even disinfecting offices - but shortly
later a so-called "super-spreader" infected more than 40
people.
In schools, hospitals, nurseries and
other public places it seems that nothing is terribly
different from normal. There is a large portion of
Taiyuan's population that is still unclear about whether
SARS is affecting Taiyuan. This is because people are
bombarded by official declarations that SARS is under
effective control. They are only gradually starting to
take precautions; moreover they are becoming numb to
SARS talk. There are also some Taiyuan residents who
justifiably believe that if SARS is serious, all the
preventive measures should be the responsibility of the
government. Individuals should be cautious, but in the
end children must go to school, adults must go to work.
One Taiyuan student's pragmatic parent said, "Studying
is still more important [than worrying about SARS].
Other people's children are still going to school. Do I
just make my child stay at home and rest?"
Initially, when Shanxi announced only four
cases, WHO already designated the province as an
affected area with localized transmission. Considering
that since then Shanxi's total infections have risen
steadily, WHO's assessment was extremely accurate and
timely. It would be beneficial to both Shanxi and China
for the province to be opened to WHO experts before SARS
becomes a much bigger problem.
Translated by
Christopher Horton.
(©2003 Asia Times Online
Co, Ltd. All rights reserved. Please contact content@atimes.com
for information on our sales and syndication policies.)
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