Sick & tired
Ten years on from the outbreak that killed hundreds, many Beijingers chronically affected by Sars await meaningful government support. Xu Donghuan reports
It is the coldest day since the start of the winter; an overnight weather front from Siberia has brought the temperature in the Chinese capital to minus-seven degrees Celsius. Shortly before 1pm, 54-year-old Yang Zhixia and her sister-in-law, Li Guiju, arrive at the heavily guarded petition office in Beijing, in an alley next to Tiananmen Square. The pair are among dozens of survivors of the 2003 severe acute respiratory syndrome (Sars) outbreak in Beijing who have come here every month for nine years in an effort to persuade the government to hear their cases.
"Four members of my family died during the Sars outbreak as a result of the government's cover-up," Yang says. "We hope the authorities will take responsibility and offer the long-delayed death compensation and relief payments to surviving family members."
The two sit down at the end of a long row of plastic seats; Li, who is the same age as Yang, places her walking stick by her side. Both of them suffer from multiple health problems attributed to Sars; Li, who has osteonecrosis, has been using a walking stick for a few years. Osteonecrosis is a form of bone degeneration caused by poor blood supply to the joints, most commonly the hips and shoulders, but also knees, elbows, wrists and ankles. It is widely believed osteonecrosis among Sars survivors is associated with the high doses of steroid therapy they received as treatment.
It has been 10 years since Sars erupted in Beijing - the first known case in the capital was that of a woman in her 20s who was admitted to No302 Military Hospital on March 6, 2003 - infecting thousands of people and killing hundreds nationwide. Schools were closed, businesses came to a standstill and the bustling city was turned into a ghost town almost overnight. For most of the capital's population, memories of that time are becoming hazy, but for many of those who have been living with the after-effects - and Beijing has a disproportionately high number - it is a trauma they will probably never leave behind.
"How can you expect us to let go of the frustration inside when we have had such a huge blow in our lives and the government has been reluctant to provide us with the necessary support?" Yang asks.
According to the World Health Organisation, from November 16, 2002, when the first known case of atypical pneumonia occurred in Foshan, Guangdong province, to June 3 of the following year, when the last case was reported, 5,327 people in the mainland were infected, 349 of them dying as a result. In Hong Kong, 1,755 cases were reported and 299 people died. Worldwide, there were a total of 8,096 cases, resulting in 774 deaths.
In a matter of two weeks, between late April and early May 2003, Yang lost her father, mother, husband and brother; five other members of the family, including herself, were struck down by Sars and now suffer from chronic health problems.