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SARS epidemic

Beijing sacks health minister, Musharraf's visit postponed

REUTERS, Beijing
China sacked Health Minister Zhang Wenkang and Beijing deputy party boss Meng Xuenong yesterday, just hours after officials disclosed a tenfold leap in the number of SARS cases in Beijing.
"Zhang Wenkang was removed from the post of the secretary of the leading Party members' group of the Ministry of Health of the Communist Party of China (CPC)," the official Xinhua news agency said in a terse one paragraph report.
"Meng Xuenong was removed from the post of the deputy secretary of the CPC Beijing Municipal Committee", it said.
No reason was given.
Rumours had been circulating over the past several days over the fate of both men over their handling of the outbreak of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) which has killed 79 in China and infected 2,209.
Yesterday, China increased its number of SARS cases in Beijing to 339, and added 402 suspected cases and 18 deaths. City officials had previously maintained there were only 37 cases in the capital and the minister had declared it "safe to travel to China."
AFP from Islamabad adds: Pakistani
President Pervez Musharraf's scheduled visit to China next month has been postponed as Beijing put off an Asian economic forum meeting due to outbreak of killer SARS, state media said yesterday.
The president's visit has been postponed until November, state-run Associated Press of Pakistan (APP) reported.
Musharraf was invited to visit China to address the second conference of Boao economic forum scheduled in Beijing for May 18-19.
The news agency quoted a Boao official as saying in Beijing yesterday that the conference had been put off due to Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) virus.
"The decision to this effect has been taken, since the participation of some foreign guests was doubtful in wake of the recent outbreak of SARS," the Chinese official said.
The news agency said the organisers of Boao Forum for Asia, an Asian equivalent of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, were now considering re-convening the conference in October or November.
Beijing also cancelled the week-long May Day holidays to prevent the spread of the epidemic.