SARS virus identified, but the disease is still spreading

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Abstract
As the epidemic of SARS (severe acute respiratory syndrome) continues to defy attempts to bring it under control, Chinese officials have recorded far more cases in Beijing than previously admitted—a total of 455 cases, or more than 12 times the number previously revealed. Until 20 April, officials said that there were only 37 cases in the capital, despite estimates by the World Health Organization that at least 200 people there had con- tracted SARS. The health minis- ter, Zhang Wenkang, and the mayor of Beijing, Meng Xuenong, have been fired over the cover up. The news came as scientists conclusively identified the cause of the syndrome as a corona- virus that is unlike any other known virus in the same family, animal or human. Research is ongoing to try to establish how long the newly named SARS virus can survive outside the body, in what concentrations it appears in various body fluids, and at what point patients are the most infectious. However, the information already gleaned about the SARS virus will help in the develop- ment of an accurate diagnostic test and antiviral drugs. A speedy test could be available by the end of this month, according to WHO, which coordinated the work of 13 laboratories around the world. "The pace of SARS research has been outstanding," said Dr David Heymann, WHO's executive director of communi- cable diseases. The work of the laboratories and WHO has been dedicated to Dr Carlo Urbani, the WHO scientist who first identified the virus in Hanoi and subsequently died of SARS. According to WHO figures, by 21 April there were 3861 probable cases of SARS, with deaths in 26 countries—includ- ing the revised numbers for

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