Just 12 new cases of the deadly flu-like disease were reported in the 24 hours to 10 am yesterday, the smallest rise since April 16. Six of the confirmed cases had been suspected cases, according to the Ministry of Health.

Seven of the newly confirmed cases were in Beijing, with four in North China's Hebei Province and one case in Central China's Hubei Province.

There were also five deaths and 64 new suspected cases.

The number of newly reported SARS cases in rural areas on the Chinese mainland has decreased markedly since May 14, the Epidemic Analysis Group of the National Task Force for SARS Prevention and Control said Monday.

As of 10 am Monday, the cumulative number of confirmed SARS cases on the Chinese mainland was 5,236, with 289 deaths, and 2,036 suspected cases.

There are still 2,799 SARS patients being treated in hospitals.

A total of 195 SARS cases had been confirmed in rural areas as of 10 am Monday, with 165 found in North China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, Hebei and Shanxi provinces.

The SARS outbreak peaked in rural areas at the end of April and the first 10 days of May as a result of many rural migrant workers returning from cities to their hometowns at the end of April to help with farm work, according to the Epidemic Analysis Group.

As the epidemic gets weaker, students and migrant workers are beginning to travel more frequently. Experts from the group warned that more should be done to prevent a rebound of the epidemic.

In Hong Kong, one new SARS case was confirmed Monday, marking the 16th day in a row that Hong Kong has had a daily infection rate in single digits, said a spokeswoman for the Department of Health.

All Hong Kong students from primary school and kindergarten went back to class Monday.

The World Health Organization has announced that the cumulative number of confirmed SARS cases worldwide had reached 7,761, including 623 deaths as of last Saturday.

Jia Qinglin and Wu Guanzheng, both members of the Standing Committee of the Communist Party of China Central Committee's Political Bureau, called on local officials to work for a decisive victory in the war against SARS and they urged enhanced efforts to maintain sustained, rapid and healthy economic growth.

Jia was on an inspection tour of North China's Hebei Province and South China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region last week and Wu went to Northwest China's Shaanxi Province.

(China Daily May 20, 2003)