Rural areas should be guarded against the outbreak of the deadly severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS), senior officials said Thursday.

Vice Premier Wu Yi urged local officials to "take effective measures" to prevent the spread of the flu-like disease to China's countryside.

While the epidemic has so far mostly affected cities, Minister of Agriculture Du Qinglin said information was being distributed to farmers on how they can best protect their health.

The relatively poor public hygiene and health care infrastructure in the countryside may speed up the spread of the infection to rural areas, Zhang Zhiwen, a senior expert with the China Association of Chinese Traditional Medicine, warned Thursday.

The return of migrant workers from SARS-affected cities such as Guangdong could also increase the number of cases.

So far, there has been no major outbreak of the viral disease in rural areas, according to the Ministry of Health sources.

But Minister Du said all media and information channels in rural areas should be mobilized to keep residents informed of the contagious illness and how to prevent it, given the lack of adequate health care facilities outside cities.

In particular, those in charge of farm produce markets -- where farmers regularly gather -- should help prevent the spread of the epidemic by disinfecting their premises, Du said.

In an earlier notice, Du's ministry said rural residents should also be taught about SARS as part of their training on agricultural techniques and job seeking in urban areas.

Every household should be made aware of SARS and prevention measures, said the notice.

It was also equally important to train grassroots medical staff in rural areas about atypical pneumonia symptoms, to ensure patients are not misdiagnosed with the flu, said Zhang of the China Association of Chinese Traditional Medicine.

That way, SARS cases can be detected, reported and treated earlier, the expert said.

Li Linhai, a rural resident from Shuyang County, East China's Jiangsu Province, said he believes publicity about SARS will help, because many farmers think the disease is confined to cities and does not affect them.

(China Daily April 25, 2003)