May 9, 2003

The deadly SARS pandemic, which has claimed more than 500 lives worldwide, originated as a bioweapon in a U.S. research lab, according to the Hong Kong newspaper Wenweipo.

The Wenweipo article entitled, "Earliest SARS outbreak suspected in U.S.," cites reports by the Associated Press and Reuters about a 45-year-old woman who became gravely ill on Feb. 9, 2002, while taking part in her mortgage company's annual sales convention near Philadelphia. Her symptoms included headache, fever, chills, vomiting and shortness of breath. After being hospitalized, she died early the next morning.

The hospital was placed under a short-term quarantine and more than 80 people suspected of having had close contact with the woman were examined. Seven were held in the hospital for further observation.

The newspaper suggested the incident was covered up and speculates it represented the original outbreak of SARS.

Several Taiwan media outlets reprinted and broadcast the story.

But a Taiwan News editorial debunks the report. It points out the Wenweipo failed to mention that the hospital subsequently announced the woman had apparently died of bacterial pneumonia. SARS, or Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome, is a viral disease.

The Taiwan News editorial further notes the Wenweipo is a well known mouthpiece for Beijing among China watchers and its editorials and articles frequently serve as "trial balloons" for Beijing policy-makers. It concludes the Wenweipo's "excavation and creative remix of a news story more than a year old" is an attempt by the Chinese Communist Party to deflect criticism for its handling of the epidemic.

http://worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=32493