More SARS cases reported as criticism of China grows
HONG KONG -- China reported two deaths yesterday from a new strain of atypical pneumonia in a remote northern region, thousands of miles from the southern province where the disease originated. The 10 cases reported in Inner Mongolia lent credence to accusations that, even as authorities delayed publicizing the illness and downplayed its seriousness, it was spreading across the country and -- via air travelers -- around the world.
In Hong Kong, which after China is the area hardest hit by severe acute respiratory syndrome, or SARS, health officials reported three more deaths yesterday and 49 new infections, bringing the total in the former British colony of 6.4 million to 1,108 confirmed cases, including 35 deaths.Officials in China have reported 1,300 infections among the 1.3 billion populace, including 60 deaths. But prominent government doctors said the true number is far higher, based on the...