Beijing: As the deadly Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) virus spread to more provinces and municipalities leaving a total of 92 people dead and 2,001 infected, China on April 22 dispatched more disease prevention and treatment monitoring teams across the country to check the epidemic.

The latest statistics released by the Ministry of Health reported 2,001 cases and 92 dead till April 21. The toll included 25 fatalities in Beijing, where authorities replaced the Mayor.

The standing committee of the Beijing municipal people's congress on April 22 accepted the resignation of Beijing Mayor Meng Xuenong, and decided Wang Qishan to be the acting Mayor, the official Xinhua news agency reported.

Out of the 2,001 patients, 1,201 have been cured and discharged, it said.

To combat the spread of the disease, China has reduced by two days its traditional week long May Day holiday, a period when hundreds of thousands of people generally travel throughout the country.

"The purpose of such an act is to prevent the massive movement of people and the possible spread of the disease," official sources said.

Officials have also been directed to do a good job of analysing statistics, effectively control and cut off the source of the infection.

With the World Health Organisation (WHO) voicing fears that the country's rural areas lacked facilities and the systems to deal with the virus, the state council has decided to send more teams to Shanxi, Inner Mongolia, Henan, Guangong and Ninqxia where cases have surfaced.

The SARS epidemic, which seems to have originated in the Southern province of Guangdong in November last year has now spread to two more Chinese provinces – Shaanxi and Gansu, causing concern to the government.

Of the new cases, Guangdong reported 13 cases, 26 discharged and two deaths; Beijing, 143 cases, 10 discharged and seven deaths; Shanxi, 12 cases; inner Mongolia, five cases, three deaths; Sichuan, three cases, one death; Guangxi, two cases; Henan, one case; Ningxia, four cases; Jilin, three cases; Zhejiang, three cases; Liaoning, two cases; Gansu, two cases; Shaanxi, one case.

The reason for the rapid increase in SARS patients in Beijing was attributed to the confirmation of certain suspected cases as SARS after further examination.

Of the total 2,001 SARS patients in the country, 456 are medical workers.

Meanwhile, a six-member WHO team has also arrived to investigate SARS in Shanghai city in Eastern China. Shanghai has officially confirmed two probable cases of SARS. No deaths have yet been reported in Shanghai.

The WHO team will conduct a four-day probe in which they will confer with local health authorities, inspect hospitals and examine measures taken to prevent and control the spread of SARS, the WHO said in a press release.

PTI