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Swine flu death toll three times higher

Health Ministry orders more accurate reporting of fatalities. In two weeks, the number of deaths jumps from 53 to 178. There is strong suspicion that Beijing might be trying to hide the real situation.
Beijing (AsiaNews/Agencies) – The mainland's official swine flu death toll has tripled in the past two weeks after the government ordered more accurate reporting of fatalities. Health ministry's data show that the number of people killed by the influenza A(H1N1) virus jumped to 178 at the weekend, up from a previously reported nationwide tally of 53.

“The number of severe cases and deaths continues to rise” and “The epidemic situation in our nation remains grim,” an official Ministry statement said.

Despite reporting tens of thousands of confirmed A(H1N1) cases in China since the virus first emerged this spring in North America, the reported death rate here has remained far below that of other countries.

Cover-up suspicions were fuelled last month when medical expert Zhong Nanshan was quoted by a Chinese newspaper saying that he suspected authorities in some areas were under-reporting fatalities.

Zhong's opinion carries weight after he earned wide respect for criticising the government over the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) outbreak in 2003. At the time, the government initially tried to hide the outbreak rather than contain it.