"Atypical pneumonia is a severe disease, but curable," Cai told Xinhua in an interview, "The month I spent fighting it was a nightmare, but I finally woke up."

"We should not fear it," he said.

Medical workers are vulnerable to atypical pneumonia since they have close contact with infected patients.

Cai came down with a fever at midnight on February 13 and was sent to the hospital two days later.

"I had been working hard and was totally worn out during the period leading up to February 13," he said.

During the first six days, he suffered from fever and a slight bowel disorder, as if he had caught the flu, but he had no cough, Cai said.

On the sixth day, doctors diagnosed his illness as atypical pneumonia after discovering the shadowy image in his lung x-ray.

"On the tenth day, the severe fever hit me again, and I began to have difficulty breathing, " he said, "This is what we usually call the 'peak'."

Assisted by an artificial respirator and treated with antibiotics, hormones and nutrients, his condition improved and his breathing difficulty was gradually alleviated.

Cai left the hospital on March 13, just a month after he was infected with the disease.

"It was torturous to breathe while I was ill," he said, "But I was cured of the disease thanks to proper treatment."

Cai stayed home for about 20 days before returning to work.

According to the public health administration of Guangdong, 911 atypical pneumonia patients have been cured thus far, accounting for 79 percent of the total 1,153 patients.

"I continue to tell my patients to stand up to the disease instead of being frightened and frustrated," Cai said.

(Xinhua News Agency April 8, 2003)