Taiwan health chief quits over Sars

Twu Shiing-jer has already been replaced

Taiwan's health minister has resigned over his handling of the island's Sars crisis.

Twu Shiing-Jer offered to step down on Friday, to take responsibility for the outbreak which has killed 36 people and shut two hospitals on the island.

A public health specialist, Chen Chien-jen, has been appointed as the new health minister.

Meanwhile China continues to battle against its own outbreak, announcing four more deaths and 39 more infections on Friday.

The Chinese authorities have begun to crack down on violators of the country's strict Sars regulations, and the official Xinhua news agency on Friday said more than 300 officials had been fired or punished for their handling of the outbreak.

But there was more positive news from Singapore. The World Health Organisation said it would be declared Sars-free by Sunday, if a group of patients at a mental institute were shown to be free of the disease.

Sars, or Severe acute respiratory syndrome, has killed at least 613 people worldwide, and infected more than 7,700 others, since it emerged in southern China late last year.

Taiwan's challenge

The number of Sars cases has surged dramatically in Taiwan, with at least two more deaths reported on Friday.

The resignation of Taiwan's health minister came amid growing criticism of the way the outbreak has been handled.

SARS WORLDWIDE

Known death tolls:

World: 812

Mainland China: 348

Hong Kong: 298

Taiwan: 84

Singapore: 32

Canada: 38

Source: WHO/local authorities

Global update

Hospital staff have complained of a shortage of protective equipment, and Taipei residents have been desperately searching for effective face masks, according to reports.

"Sars has posed an unprecedented challenge to Taiwan's medical system," said Chen Chao-lung, president of Chang Gung Memorial Hospital in the southern city of Kaohsiung.

"We hope frontline medical workers can get better protection in the fight," he told AP.

Chinese crackdown

Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao has called for the strict enforcement of anti-Sars restrictions.

"No individual or administration will be allowed to tamper with or delay the reporting of information," the Xinhua news agency quoted him as saying on Thursday.

China says those violating Sars restrictions could face death

One woman has already been given a year's sentence for vandalising a building being turned into a quarantine centre.

China has threatened to execute or jail for life anyone who breaks Sars quarantine orders and spread the virus intentionally.

On the surface, the outbreak in China appears to be receding. The 39 new Sars cases reported on Friday are just a fraction of the number being reported in early May.

But according to AP, an official from the WHO said some of Beijing's hospitals were failing to record certain Sars cases.

China also announced on Friday that it was suspending foreign adoptions to help curb the disease's spread.

While the Centre of Adoption Affairs is still processing existing adoptions, the authorities have stopped sending documents authorising new parents to come to the mainland, a government official said.

"This is for the safety of the children and the adopters," the official added.

Thousands of Chinese children - mainly baby girls - are adopted by foreigners every year.

In other developments:

• Hong Kong reports just three new infections - the lowest since records began in March

• Asian airport officials meeting in the Philippines agree to issue standardised health declaration forms and screen all air passengers

• A leading broadcaster in Singapore, Mediacorp, says it will launch a new television channel that will only show information about Sars

• WHO investigators say the outbreak in Hong Kong's Amoy Gardens apartment complex was caused by leaky sewage pipes and ventilation fans, which transmitted contaminated droplets to residents

• Travel on China's airlines falls by an estimated 81% in the first 10 days of this month, amid Sars fears