A SUDDEN temperature plunge in most areas of China has sparked fears of a possible return of SARS and the country has mobilized to prepare for another outbreak.

China's first reported SARS case emerged last November and experts suspect cold weather could trigger a resurgence of the mysterious respiratory disease.

North China's Tianjin Port resumed a temperature reporting system Sunday. Any passengers through the port with a temperature above 38 degrees Celsius would be put under medical observation.

At a symposium in Beijing, an authoritative epidemiologist warned of the resurgence of SARS, but predicted no widespread outbreak.

It was unlikely the SARS virus would die out naturally and it would definitely return, said Zeng Guang with the China Disease Control Center.

"But the scale of the epidemic depends on the control measures we take," he said.

Zhong Nanshan, a prominent anti-SARS scientist during the last outbreak, agreed the disease would return this winter. However, with the strict reporting mechanism and experience from the last crisis, the epidemic would not be serious, the Guangzhou-based academician said.

Caught unprepared lasts spring, Chinese authorities have learned to act quickly before the epidemic takes hold.

Vice Premier Wu Yi has urged the strict implementation of the daily SARS reporting system and warned that people delaying reporting or concealing SARS would be severely punished.

In Beijing, the disease control center in Dongcheng District has resumed a 24-hour schedule to guard against any outbreak.

In Beijing Xiehe Hospital, fever patients will be treated in a special section. Doctors in that ward will wear protective clothing and monitor patients for any respiratory diseases. Patients with a high fever and symptoms of respiratory diseases are required to remain under observation for one to two weeks.

North China's Shanxi Province and Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, the two other hardest-hit areas in the last SARS crisis, have both set up emergency response mechanisms and mobilized all concerned departments. The system has also been set up in rural Inner Mongolia.

People are being urged to continue healthy habits formed during the last SARS outbreak. Zhong Nanshan said the most effective way to prevent SARS was to play more sport and maintain good ventilation. Spitting in public and eating wild animals were very dangerous, he said.

Zhong also suggested influenza vaccinations as people were most vulnerable to SARS-like flu in autumn and winter.

(Xinhua)