China's State Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine has issued an emergency circular calling for immediate operation of the monitoring and prevention mechanism against SARS after one suspect SARS case was reported in Beijing on Thursday.

According to the circular, the border quarantine departments atvarious levels should take strict quarantine measures, and anyone tested at the border to have a body temperature above 38 degrees Celsius should be sent to hospital for further check and treatment.

According to the Ministry of Health, the patient, now hospitalized in isolation in Beijing's Ditan Hospital, has been examined twice by a medical expert team of the ministry.

The patient, a 20-year-old female, was a nurse in Beijing's Jiangong Hospital, a spokesman for the ministry said.

The patient reported symptoms of fever, cough and trembling on April 5 and was hospitalized in Jiangong Hospital on April 7.

She was transferred to the Intensive Care Unit of the Renmin Hospital attached to Beijing University on April 14.

After April 19, two relatives who accompanied the patient reported fever so the hospital immediately geared up the early warning system for SARS.

The Beijing Health Bureau then reported the case to the Ministry of Health on April 22.

A total 171 people who had close contact with the patient have received medical observation and five who had fever have been isolated for further observation.

The ministry has reported the case to the World Health Organization, and the Hong Kong and Macao health authorities.

Source: Xinhua