Chinese Ministry of Health (MOH), Ministry of Finance (MOF) and the World Bank have jointly launched the SARS and Infectious Disease Response Program in Beijing on July 7 in support of the government's efforts to combat SARS and other potential infectious disease threats. This unique multi-donor supported program is funded by US$11.5 million equivalent of concessional loans from the World Bank, a UK?3 million grant from the UK's Department for International Development (DFID), a C$5 million grant from the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA), and complemented by a regional grant of US$2 million from the Japan Social Development Fund. The launch was marked by a government-sponsored workshop attended by senior officials of the MOH, MOF, National Development and Reform Commission (SDRC) and other related government agencies, representatives of DFID and the British Embassy, CIDA and the Canadian Embassy, WHO and the World Bank, and project management staff from the eight project provinces.

Executive Vice Minister of Health Gao Qiang said, "SARS is an unforeseen and serious disaster confronting all mankind, which has severely threatened the health and safety of the people, and undermined social life and economic development." Over the last few months the government has taken strong measures to bring the SARS disease under control. WHO has recently lifted the travel advisory against Beijing and also removed the city from the list of SARS-infected areas. "Although we have achieved a major victory in combating SARS, it is not the end of the battle. We need to make persistent efforts. Since we do not fully understand the transmission mechanism of SARS nor have we developed vaccine and effective treatment, we must maintain vigilance, continue to improve the prevention and treatment measures, and strengthen international cooperation to prevent a potential resurgence of the disease."

To support the government's efforts, the program focuses on addressing SARS related diagnosis, clinical management, and infection control needs in the event that there is a future re-emergence of the disease; and drawing on recent experience, strengthening the capacity of the public health system more generally for infectious disease prevention and control, through improving surveillance and case reporting systems for infectious diseases, and setting up alert and response mechanisms to address public health crises.

The program will target areas which have had a severe SARS epidemic, are in the middle and western economically disadvantaged regions, and are particularly vulnerable to this type of epidemic because of a large and highly mobile population or role as a major transportation network center.

Over the next several months, the program will focus on:

• Monitoring and evaluating SARS related risks and preparedness for combating any emergence of SARS in the provinces that currently have limited epidemics or have reported no cases.

• Eliminating the public threat of SARS, particularly in those areas that have been highly affected by the SARS epidemic, and minimizing the likelihood of a possible resurgence of SARS in these areas.

• Improving the level of skills for clinical management of SARS, in order to improve the cure rate and lower the fatality rate in the event of a re-emergence of the disease.

Beginning immediately and over the next two years, the program will at the same time:

• Strengthen overall capacity for infectious disease prevention and control.

• Improve infectious disease surveillance and reporting.

• Set up alert and response mechanisms for detecting public health crises.

• Improve capacity for operational research on infectious disease prevention and control in collaboration with renown international research/technical institutions, particularly WHO.

• Use the lessons learned and experience gained in the program to inform the process of building an adequate public health infrastructure as well as issues of broader health sector reform and development.

Yukon Huang, Director of the World Bank China Program said, "We applaud the government's efforts in addressing this disease thus far through adoption of strict preventive and treatment measures and a transparent, public information campaign which is helping to minimize both the health and economic costs of the SARS disease. We expect that the experience and insights gained through this SARS response program will feed into a longer-term initiative, suitable for external donor support, that is focused on broader health sector reform and development concerns."

"We are especially pleased that donors were able to work together so quickly to support an integrated multi-donor approach. By working in partnership with the government and with other international health agencies, we are optimistic that the disease will continue to be contained, and that longer-term efforts can get underway to strengthen the public health system," commented Sir Christopher Hum, UK Ambassador to China. "SARS has also revealed the importance of making health care more affordable for the disadvantaged. We hope that this program can assist the government in meeting the health care needs of the poor more generally."

Gordon Houlden, Canadian Embassy's Minister for Political-Economic Affairs said, "We commend the partnership between the government of China and World Health Organization (WHO) in tackling the spread of this disease. The WHO has taken the lead in helping the Ministry of Health to obtain accurate and timely data on cases of SARS, and assisting the government in their efforts to contain the crisis. We look forward to supporting some of their key activities which include efforts to assess the vulnerability and preparedness of selected provinces and research that would build understanding of the origins and transmission mechanisms of this disease."

"We must aim to eliminate SARS as a global threat and the success achieved by the Chinese government is critical in this regard. Through this multi-donor program, WHO's partnership with the Ministry of Health can be further strengthened to ensure the preparedness of the health system for potential resurgence of SARS and control of other infectious diseases," said Dr. Henk Bekedam, representative of the WHO in China.

The Ministry of Health will be responsible for the implementation of the program under the overall direction of the National SARS Command Center of the State Council. Eight provinces, municipalities and autonomous regions that have been heavily affected will benefit directly from the program resources, including Inner Mongolia, Shanxi, Henan, Guangxi, Hebei, Tianjin, Guangdong and Beijing. Advisory support is also planned for other central and western provinces. The benefits are expected to go well beyond China. It will enable China to access the best international expertise on infectious diseases to help bring SARS fully under control and to strengthen China's public health system. The experience gained and lessons learned in responding to the SARS epidemic will in turn enrich global knowledge and understanding of SARS, thus benefiting other countries in combating this global public health concern and similar infectious diseases threats of global public health concern.

(China.org.cn July 8, 2003)