As promised, official information about the case was disclosed immediately, and reported to the World Health Organization while governments of Hong Kong and Macao special administrative regions were alerted about the first suspected SARS case found on mainland since the last two patients in the spring outbreak were discharged from hospital on August 16 in Beijing.

Learning from the bitter lesson of the spring SARS outbreak that caused 349 fatalities and 5,327 infections nationwide, the government has attached great importance to information accessibility in order to prevent another panic.

A quick response mechanism has been established and a control and reporting system has been put in place. Since the arrival of winter the nation's health system has been fully mobilized at high alert against a possible return of the disease.

Earlier this month Minister of Health Wu Yi warned that any failure to report SARS cases would be punished, seeking to head off a repeat of a cover-up early this year that resulted in human and material losses and seriously damaged the image of the government.

The panic that seized the public due to belated information disclosure when SARS first attacked the country is unlikely to be resurrected.

People calmly accepted news of the suspected new case in the wake of the timely information, and the public has shown confidence in the government's ability to control the situation.

Still, the government could have done better to rid any doubt in the public's mind.

Different from the last two diagnosed SARS patients in Singapore and Taiwan, both of whom contacted the virus in laboratories, the suspected patient in Guangdong is a freelance TV station worker who claimed he has stayed in Guangzhou city and eaten no wild animals for one month before being hospitalized.

While further investigation and lab examinations for the cause of the disease are under way, given the high contagiousness of SARS, the authorities have immediately put those who have had close contact with him on the watchlist.

But the public deserves and needs to know more details, such as the number of people who are under quarantine, the quarantine location, and the development of the situation.

As the lunar new year holiday approaches, a huge volume of travellers will soon converge on trains, planes and public transit. It will be even more important to have the public co-operate in preventing the spread of the disease.

In this regard, the timely release of all pertinent information will be a huge help.

 (China Daily)