Beijing public health departments have reacted to the latest (SARS) case in Taiwan province and issued five emergency measures to prevent the spread of the disease to the mainland.

Jin Dapeng, head of the Beijing Municipal Health Bureau, said all municipal entry-exit inspection and quarantine departments should strengthen temperature screening systems and send any travelers with a body temperature over 38 degrees Celsius to government-designated hospitals.

The latest SARS patient, identified in Taiwan on Dec. 17, was believed to have contracted the disease while destroying SARS samples after using them for an experiment. Beijing Municipal Health Bureau urged all labs doing research on SARS to strictly adhere to safety procedures.

Hospitals are required to be vigilant when receiving fever cases, especially those that have traveled in Taiwan.

From Dec. 17, the Beijing Municipal Disease Prevention and Control Center started collecting information on SARS (severe acute respiratory syndrome) around the clock and would pay special attention to Taiwan, the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region and some Southeast Asian countries.

Emergency task forces in the city's districts and counties are required to work in shifts night and day to help trace people who had close contact with SARS patients if any were found.

Jin said that Beijing would learn from lessons in the first half year and take strict, prompt measures to guard against a possible return of the epidemic disease.

(Xinhua News Agency December 19, 2003)