China says meningitis outbreak routine

China sought on Wednesday to play down fears of a meningitis outbreak, echoing World Health Organisation (WHO) comments that the incidents were routine and controllable and dismissing speculation of a SARS-like coverup.

The media has been filled with reports of cases of the disease, which infects the lining of the brain and spinal cord. Neighbouring Hong Kong has demanded information, but officials said there was nothing unusual about the outbreak.

"It is not necessary to panic," the China Daily quoted Health Ministry official Deng Haihua as saying.

China has been especially sensitive to epidemics since it was accused of covering up an outbreak of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) in 2003, contributing to its rapid spread.

Officials said this was not the same.

"We have no cause for the same magnitude of fear this time. Meningitis, however severe it is, is not a new epidemic and we have sufficient precautions to guard against it," the China Daily said in an editorial.

No cases were found among the travelling population, the newspaper quoted a railway official as saying. This week and next week will be the peak travel season in China as millions make their way home for the Lunar New Year holidays.

Nevertheless, Thailand's Health Ministry said in a statement on Wednesday it had ordered provincial health offices nationwide to quarantine people travelling from China with symptoms of high temperature, severe headaches or fainting and to conduct swift blood tests.

Thailand had 47 cases of the disease that caused 5 deaths last year, the ministry said.

A WHO official said on Tuesday the meningitis outbreak appeared to be routine and the slightly higher number of cases this year could be due to improved surveillance.

He said there were no signs China is concealing information.

"I think based on the stories we've been seeing for the last several days in Xinhua and the China Daily and other Chinese outlets, they seem to be pretty forthcoming," WHO spokesman Roy Wadia said.

"They've been posting this at this Web site as well," he said, referring to the Health Ministry. "It doesn't seem like there's any effort to conceal, but the contrary."

China, meanwhile, announced a limited reshuffle in the upper echelons of the Health Ministry, removing one vice minister, Zhu Qingsheng, and promoting another senior official, Chen Xiaohong, to the post of vice-minister.

No reason was given for the changes but a number of ministries have been reshuffled ahead of a session of China's parliament, the National People's Congress, which opens on March 5.