China's Countryside Facing "Extremely Serious" SARS Epidemic

Agence France-Presse ^ | Wednesday, May 07, 2003 | Robert J. Saiget

[Dog Gone]

BEIJING, May 7 (AFP) - Millions of migrant workers have ignored government warnings against returning from SARS-affected areas to their rural homes, as Premier Wen Jiabao warned Wednesday of a serious outbreak in the Chinese hinterland.More than 800,000 migrant workers have returned in recent weeks to central Henan province, one of the country's most populous areas, while one million have returned to neighboring Anhui, local officials and press reports said.

"At present there has not been a large epidemic in the rural areas, but we must be on high alert; neglecting prevention work in the rural regions will not be tolerated," Wen was quoted by the People's Daily as saying.

"The basic rural medical facilities are weak, technical capabilities are not adequate (and) the epidemic surveillance system is not sound."

During a nationwide teleconference with top provincial officials on Tuesday, Wen said that the nation faced "stark challenges" in controlling the spread of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) in the countryside.

Stopping the epidemic from spreading to rural areas would be key to containing the virus nationwide, Wen said, as he repeated an apparently ineffective demand for migrant workers not to return home.

"It has been very difficult to advise migrant workers in (SARS) affected areas not to return home," the China News Service said, citing efforts by Henan to control the migrant population.

"The situation of SARS prevention in the entire (Henan) province is extremely serious."

Some 75 percent of an estimated 290,000 migrant workers that returned to Henan between May 1 and May 4, came from SARS-affected areas, it said.

The "recent" return of up to 800,000 migrants to the province appeared as part of an exodus from SARS hotspots like southern Guangdong province and Beijing, despite government warnings ahead of the May Day holiday.

Henan, a largely rural province of 91 million people -- bigger than any European country except Russia -- has more than five million migrant workers that have spread to prosperous urban areas in search of a better livelihood.

Such workers in SARS-hit areas like Beijing and Guangdong were unlikely to return immediately to their jobs due to the epidemic, while many have been laid off from restaurant and hotels because of the slump in business due to SARS.

The situation was similar in neighboring Anhui province, which boasts a population of nearly 63 million and has some five million migrant workers, local officials said.

So far Henan has only reported 15 SARS cases and 15 suspected cases as of Wednesday, while Anhui had nine confirmed cases and 11 suspected cases, far below the more than 2,049 cases in Beijing and more than 1,400 in Guangdong.

China reported 159 new cases and five more deaths Wednesday, bringing the total nationwide to 4,560 and 219 fatalities. Beijing is the worst-hit city with 110 deaths.

Meanwhile, a team of experts from the World Health Organization (WHO) will visit Hebei province Thursday, which surrounds Beijing and is home to many of the capital's migrant workers.

The number of infections in Hebei have more than doubled to 134 in the last week.

Police around the country have also beefed up regulations on SARS prevention, arresting a man in Inner Mongolia for "recklessly endangering public safety," after he infected his family, including his father, who died.

Li Song was also charged with refusing to cooperate with medical officials while quarantined and for escaping quarantine.

SARS' spread into the hinterlands could also seriously threaten China's estimated one million HIV-positive patients, many of whom are in Henan.

"If SARS hits HIV areas, that will decimate all the people who are HIV positive right away," said Ray Yip, head of AIDS prevention for the United Nations Children's Fund's China office, has said.

China's government, which refused to acknowledge the extent of the epidemic for months after it was discovered in Guangdong in November, has only appeared to fully address the outbreak since April 20.

[flamefront]

China's "guest worker" program highlights China's SARS control problem.

Anyone think a similar migrant worker issue might be involved here with Mexico and Canada?

(Any form of amnesty for illegal border crossers incentivises disease propagation.)

[flamefront]

China's "guest worker" program highlights China's SARS control problem.

Anyone think a similar migrant worker issue might be involved here with Mexico and Canada?

(Any form of amnesty for illegal border crossers incentivises disease propagation.)

[TexanToTheCore]

I suspect that this return of migrant workers has spun the situation out of control. This is going to get rough.

[aristeides]

It was also predictable -- a couple of weeks ago -- that letting all of these people leave Peking would have a disastrous effect. People were saying as much here on FR at the time. I wonder why the Chicom leaders permitted it.

[Prince Charles]

Those "time bombs" we wrote about back then look like they're starting to go off. What a shame; it will make this bug much, much harder to get the upper hand with now.

[Michael Barnes]

I wonder why the Chicom leaders permitted it

< tinfoil> Population control.. </ tinfoil>

[neither-nor]

I'm having trouble just readign the scale of these numbers. 200,000; 800,000 ....dear god

[Judith Anne]

I guess the Chicom leaders just don't believe us FReepers...

[Myrddin]

Just wait until you have farm workers wandering around in bare feet and knee deep in water that is contaminated with human feces (fertilizer). How many of these people will even have enough information to realize they are infected with SARS and helping to spread it?

[flamefront]

Right, the recycled raw human waste "nightsoil" problem.

Here is a recent report fresh from a freeper in China itself on the practice of using human waste for farming.

[flamefront]

BTW, the US could have its own problem with "migrant workers" according to fairus.

May 5, 2003 House Speaker Dennis Hastert Predicts U.S.-Mexico Guestworker Talks will Resume
Last Thursday, House Speaker Dennis Hastert (R-IL) said that as the Iraq war and anti-terrorism efforts wind down, the administration will likely resume bilateral immigration talks with Mexico. When questioned, Hastert said that he did not believe Mexico's lack of support for the war with Iraq would hinder U.S.-Mexico immigration talks.

On Friday, the Latino Coalition held a news conference to build support for its Mexican guestworker amnesty proposal. This sweeping proposal would allow Mexican illegal aliens to adjust their status to legal permanent resident after working in the U.S. for seven to ten years. After they become legal permanent residents, they would become eligible to sponsor family members.

Coalition members said they have discussed the proposal with White House immigration specialist Diana Shaft, who was said to be favorable.

[Constitution Day]

Thanks for the link.
That gives a new meaning to "eat s**t and die."

[per loin]

Yes. 94,000,000 migrant workers in China.

[HOYA97]

I got a warning about this over a month ago! click here!

[Allan]

Anyone think a similar migrant worker issue might be involved here with Mexico and Canada?

It is estimated that several hundred illegal Chinese immigrants
arriving at Toronto airport
cross the NY border every month.

[Pylot]

I wonder how long until a confirmed case of SARS shows up in Mexico and puts a serious chill on the border issues with the US.

Unless SARS mutates itself into a milder form, the migration from the large cities back to the countryside could have disasterous effects.

Controlling a population in excess of one billion people is simply not possible.

[flamefront]

I know you have been following this adjustment of the statistics well, but here is a clear title:

Sars 'kills one in five'
The first detailed study of the spread of the Sars virus in Hong Kong has discovered that the death rate among sufferers was much higher than previously estimated.
...
the new study - the first to be based on a statistically sound sample of 1,425 cases - puts the death rate at one in five (20%) of those admitted to hospital.
...
The new research is published on the website of The Lancet medical journal.

[blam]

800K people (migrants) are laid off due to SARS related economic problems, what did they expect all these unemployed people to do in the city?

[blam]

800K people (migrants) are laid off due to SARS related economic problems, what did they expect all these unemployed people to do in the city?