Beijing's fight against severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) will, in the next step, focus on the treatment, prevention and control of the disease, said Acting Mayor Wang Qishan Thursday.

At a meeting with Henk Bekedam, the World Health Organization (WHO) representative in China, Wang said the fight against SARS has to date focused on hospitalizing as many patients as possible, adding that public panic has been effectively reduced through the measures.

The ratio of hospital beds to patients has greatly improved in Beijing, Wang said, noting that there will be an additional 2,000 beds designated for SARS patients within the next 10 days.

With the help of the central government, Beijing has not only guaranteed the supply of materials, stabilized prices and established a new hospital for SARS treatment, but has also established criteria for diagnosis and medical staff protection, in addition to the formation of an epidemiological research group of substantial scale, Wang said.

The municipal government has also united residents and urged them to participate in the control of the disease, disseminating SARS prevention information through various channels, Wang said, adding that the new SARS hot line, "the 120," is adequate to meet demands.

Bekedam said that he appreciates Beijing's anti-SARS measures and suggested that the city improve its capacity to collect, process and analyze SARS-related information so that WHO experts can offer more effective assistance.

The WHO is eager to offer assistance in data analysis and other aspects, he said.

Wang and Bekedam also agreed to have two to three WHO experts work in the municipal government's special anti-SARS office to help improve the current mode of information compilation, reporting and analysis.

(Xinhua News Agency May 8, 2003)