World, Others, Home, Beijing: With a record 12 deaths in a single day, Taiwan appeared moving to a SARS (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome) crisis, even as China on May 20 said it was close to controlling the epidemic, but would not let down its vigil against the killer disease that has killed 294 people in the country so far.

The newly reported 12 deaths in Taiwan brought the total toll to 52, as 39 new cases of SARS were recorded, bringing the total number of cases to 383.

Over 90 per cent of infections have been recorded at hospitals from where workers quit to protest lack of proper protection and seven hospitals were forced to shut down some services.

Health officials said the epidemic had been brought under control in China, which recorded five deaths and just 17 new cases after a record low of 12 new cases on May 19.

In Beijing, the worst affected city in the world with nearly 2,500 cases, officials said the dramatic drop in number of cases showed quarantine and control measures were working. "This is what we have wanted to see for a long time, a fall from double-digit to single-digit numbers," said Liang Wannian, deputy director of Beijing's public health bureau.

Rao Keqin, an epidemic analyst with the Health Ministry said, "The dramatic decrease in SARS cases on the Chinese mainland indicates the effectiveness of the measures that China has adopted to curb the disease," Rao told the reporters.

PTI