China releases two more SARS patients, four remain

A Beijing hospital discharged two recovered SARS patients on Tuesday, the health ministry said, appearing to bring further under control a small outbreak of the deadly disease.

Four more confirmed patients of severe acute respiratory syndrome remained in hospital in the Chinese capital. Three were recovering, but the condition of the fourth was severe after coming down with other ailments, it said.

The two patients who were released would be under observation for 10 days, the official Xinhua news agency said.

Their daughter, released earlier, was also among the nine people confirmed with SARS in the mini-outbreak in Beijing and the eastern province of Anhui discovered last month.

On Monday, Anhui province released from hospital its only remaining SARS patient and declared the situation there under control. The province's only other patient died last month.

SARS first spread from southern China in late 2002, infecting more than 8,000 people in nearly 30 countries and killing almost 800 people. In July 2003, Beijing declared victory over the outbreak in China, the hardest hit country.