Top Chinese legislator Wu Bangguo Monday urged no let-up in the fight against severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS), while still maintaining economic development.
Though China has made great progress in preventing and treating the epidemic, it is still facing a hard situation, said Wu, chairman of the Standing Committee of China's National People's Congress, the country's top legislature, during a visit to north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region.
Wu urged the whole country to continue to be on alert against SARS, especially in the rural areas.
China will improve the implementation of laws and regulations on the prevention and treatment of epidemics, he said, adding that those who violate the relevant laws will be harshly punished.
China is working to build an efficient national mechanism to deal with public health emergencies by improving the relevant organs and monitoring network, Wu said.
The country will make more efforts to maintain economic growth, though SARS has and will have an unfavorable impact on its economy, he said.
(Xinhua News Agency May 13, 2003)
