Shanghai: Defence Minister George Fernandes on April 26 said he saw a "hidden agenda" behind the noise over SARS epidemic in China and expressed willingness to be quarantined when he and his delegation return to India.

"I will be most happy to be quarantined so that the world can know that there is nothing wrong here. This I am not saying for myself. My entire delegation is willing to be quarantined," Fernandes said when his response was sought on media reports in India that he and the Indian delegation would be quarantined for Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS).

Fernandes, who is currently in China for the first-ever visit, also lashed out at the foreign media for "overplaying and terrorising" the people.

"I believe that this is being overplayed by forces that should be identified," he said while quoting the latest SARS figures stated by the World Health Organisation (WHO).

"As of Thursday night, Shanghai had diagnosed only two patients in a population of 17 million people. The noise that is being made doesn't make any sense."

He also noted that WHO on April 25 put out a statement that in the African continent, 3,000 children die of malaria every day.

"And here over a period of, God knows how many days, the total deaths from SARS is only 115 and worldwide is 263 and television, radio, newspapers make it headline. There is a build-up, perhaps to prevent tourism or God knows for what reason, it is upto them to tell us what exactly is bothering them that they should be making such a noise over something which is getting blown up and terrorising the people," the Defence Minister said.

PTI