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Experts Say Swine Flu Epidemic in China Is Serious
HONG KONG—Recognized Chinese respiratory disease expert Zhong Nanshan has called the Chinese regime’s official death toll from the H1N1 virus into question, according to the Southern Metropolis Daily.
The government is currently placing the death toll at 50.
Zhong became well known during the SARS epidemic when he spoke out against the official party line and helped expose the severity of the crisis.
Zhong also said that some regional authorities were downplaying the scale of H1N1 infections in their regions with the goal of convincing superiors of their achievements in combating the disease.
He predicted that during the peak of the influenza season, 10 to 20 percent of China’s population, (some 130 to 260 million people) will become infected. He estimated that between 8 and 17 million of those people will require hospitalization.
Andrew Cheng, who also investigated the SARS epidemic, said that Zhong’s comments point to the severity of H1N1. Cheng said he hopes the Chinese regime and the World Health Organization (WHO) will not conceal the truth about H1N1 in China. He appealed to the WHO to take responsibility to monitor the epidemic in China.
A member of Hong Kong’s Legislative Council commented on Zhong’s statement.
“I think Zhong Nanshan spoke about this because the epidemic is becoming quite serious. It really concerns me. Zhong spoke out in the past as well. If the situation were not that serious, he wouldn’t have said anything like this.”
Cheng noted that it is common for the Chinese regime to conceal negative information. “This happens a lot. There is no monitoring system in place. In the past, the regime lied about SARS, and now they are lying about H1N1.”
Cheng said: “If they continue to hide the truth. I am concerned that tens of millions of Chinese people—and even people around the world—could face a disastrous situation with an explosion of H1N1 infections.”
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HONG KONG—Recognized Chinese respiratory disease expert Zhong Nanshan has called the Chinese regime’s official death toll from the H1N1 virus into question, according to the Southern Metropolis Daily.
The government is currently placing the death toll at 50.
Zhong became well known during the SARS epidemic when he spoke out against the official party line and helped expose the severity of the crisis.
Zhong also said that some regional authorities were downplaying the scale of H1N1 infections in their regions with the goal of convincing superiors of their achievements in combating the disease.
He predicted that during the peak of the influenza season, 10 to 20 percent of China’s population, (some 130 to 260 million people) will become infected. He estimated that between 8 and 17 million of those people will require hospitalization.
Andrew Cheng, who also investigated the SARS epidemic, said that Zhong’s comments point to the severity of H1N1. Cheng said he hopes the Chinese regime and the World Health Organization (WHO) will not conceal the truth about H1N1 in China. He appealed to the WHO to take responsibility to monitor the epidemic in China.
A member of Hong Kong’s Legislative Council commented on Zhong’s statement.
“I think Zhong Nanshan spoke about this because the epidemic is becoming quite serious. It really concerns me. Zhong spoke out in the past as well. If the situation were not that serious, he wouldn’t have said anything like this.”
Cheng noted that it is common for the Chinese regime to conceal negative information. “This happens a lot. There is no monitoring system in place. In the past, the regime lied about SARS, and now they are lying about H1N1.”
Cheng said: “If they continue to hide the truth. I am concerned that tens of millions of Chinese people—and even people around the world—could face a disastrous situation with an explosion of H1N1 infections.”
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