Beijing: In a move that could deal a severe blow to the economy of the booming communist nation, the World Health Organisation (WHO) put the Chinese government on notice by adding Beijing, a sprawling city of over 12 million people, to the list of cities affected by the new killer pneumonia.

The addition of Beijing as a Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) affected city came as a blow to the Chinese government, which has been claiming that the outbreak of the killer disease that has claimed nearly 120 lives worldwide has been "effectively contained" on the Chinese mainland.

"In addition to Beijing, other 'affected areas' in China include Guangdong province, Hong Kong special administrative region, Shanxi province, and Taiwan province," WHO said in a press release.

Toronto in Canada, Singapore, and Hanoi in Vietnam are other cities listed as affected by WHO the world body said, adding that the new additions followed indications that chains of local transmission of SARS are occurring.

"The greatest concern arises when cases occur outside the established risk groups of health care workers and persons in close face-to-face contact with patients, such as household contacts and hospital visitors," it said.

A WHO expert team on SARS had pointed out this week that in Beijing only a minority of hospitals make daily reports of SARS cases.

According to figures released by China's Ministry of Health, there are 22 cases of SARS in Beijing, out of which four have died.

PTI