Another seven people have died in Hong Kong after contracting SARS, while 17 new cases of the disease have been recorded, health officials said today.
The latest deaths included two men and five women, aged between 44 and 89. All the fatalities had a history of chronic disease, officials said.
A total of 1,589 cases of SARS have now been recorded in the territory, Dr Liu Shao-haei, Hospital Authority senior executive manager said.
Dr Liu said 32 patients had recovered and been discharged today, bringing to 791 the number of people who have recovered from the disease.
Another 85 were in intensive care, and there were 23 suspected cases, he said. Dr Liu said 12 SARS patients had suffered relapses after being released from hospital.
"They returned to hospitals, and six were treated and released," he said. The other six were still in hospital, Dr Liu said. He described their conditions as stable, adding "some of them were recuperating and will soon be discharged."
However, Dr Liu did not say why they suffered relapses, saying only "different patients have different conditions."
Those who have been discharged were also asked to remain at home for another 14 days, he said. Dr Liu said the government has invited Chinese medicine experts from the mainland to assist in the treatment of SARS patients.
These experts will work with their counterparts in one of the hospitals where there is a Chinese medicine section, he said, adding "they will exchange experiences and see if they can help in treating SARS patients."
AFP