A respiratory diseases inspection system was officially launched in Shenzhen on Thursday, with 31 city hospitals appointed as inspection stations.

The inspection system is designed to combat SARS and human bird flu among other respiratory diseases.

Any patients with symptoms of fever not diagnosed as non-respiratory diseases must be transferred to a special fever clinic.

All hospitals operating as inspection stations are required to report to the disease control and prevention centers in their districts within two hours of any suspicious respiratory symptoms detected.

(Shenzhen Daily November 5, 2004)