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April 21, 2003

INTERNATIONAL IMMUNIZATION NEWS

"SARS Coverup Spurs a Shake-Up in Beijing"

Washington Post (www.washingtonpost.com) (04/21/03) P. A1; Pomfret, John

China's minister of health and the mayor of Beijing were fired over the weekend for their mismanagement of the severe acute respiratory syndrome

(SARS) outbreak.  The minister of health, Zhang Wenkang, was ousted by the Chinese government from his party post for failing to report early cases of the severe acute respiratory disorder and for giving an inaccurate account of the extent to which the disease had spread in Beijing at an April 4 news conference.  But government observers speculate that Beijing Mayor Meng Xuenong was singled out because he was new to the job and could be spared, as opposed to other high-ranking leaders, who were considered too influential to fall.  The latest investigation discovered 346 confirmed cases, including seven new infections, 18 deaths and 402 suspected cases of SARS in Bejing.

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