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| Taiwan hails WHO for axing SARS death toll to 37 from 180
TAIPEI, Oct 1 (AFP) - Taiwan on Wednesday hailed the World Health Organisation (WHO) for revising the island's death toll from SARS to 37 from the previously listed 180 saying it would help the epidemic be better understood by the world. The WHO made the adjustment on September 26 after ruling that 143 of the fatalities on the initial list had not in fact died from the disease. Serious business, investment and technology intelligence for a serious advantage - BizVantage! "After all the handling of the epidemic should be taken in a scientific way, and the revision would help us closer to reality and therefore help reinforce our preparations for the challenges coming forward," Taiwan's Center for Disease Control (CDC) deputy director general Shih Wen-yi told AFP. The result came after the CDC, in accordance with the WHO standards, reclassified the relating data regarding the patients suspected of being infected with the potentially fatal Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome. "What we have done was given a positive credit from WHO," Shih said. Taiwan had previously reported 71 people had died from SARS on the island. However WHO had said SARS killed 180 people out of 665 infections in Taiwan before the island was classified as free from the disease on July 5, when the WHO declared the outbreak contained worldwide. The discrepancy arose because WHO had included in its list people who had contracted SARS but had died from something else, but Taiwan had included in its toll only those who had died directly because of SARS, he said. The CDC filed a protest to WHO early September demanding a change of what it said were erroneous figures. Taiwan was the fourth worst-hit area after China, Hong Kong and Canada. Taiwan has been barred from joining WHO under pressure from mainland China, which regards the island as part of its territory to be reunified by force if necessary. cty/rmj Health-SARS-Taiwan-toll
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