Health authorities yesterday called on medical service providers and residents to take all possible measures to prevent influenza this autumn and winter which may also see the return of SARS.

The Ministry of Health issued guidelines yesterday, urging the country's health systems and people to make more of an effort in preventing influenza especially by taking vaccines, said the ministry's press office.

On October 6, the World Health Organization (WHO) will issue its annual recommendations for the composition of influenza vaccines effective against the virus strains currently circulating in human populations, said a document issued by the WHO on its website.

The recent global outbreak of SARS has heightened concerns about the occurrence of respiratory diseases having symptoms similar to those seen with SARS.

As the recurrence of SARS during the influenza season cannot be ruled out, health authorities are concerned that cases of influenza and other respiratory diseases, particularly when they occur as clusters in healthcare facilities, could raise suspicions of SARS.

Meanwhile, the WHO will co-operate with the Ministry of Health in launching a new SARS surveillance system in more than 10 hospitals in Beijing, and Guangdong and Shanxi provinces, according to Maria Cheng, the WHO spokeswoman in Beijing.

The ministry confirmed on Wednesday that no SARS case has appeared on China's mainland since August 16 when the last two SARS patients were discharged from hospital in Beijing.

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