The Ministry of Health says results from tests on a man with a suspected case of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) in Guangdong have not confirmed whether he has actually contracted the deadly virus.

"The Ministry of Health will tell the public as soon as the final investigation results come out," Mao Qun'an, spokesman for the ministry told China Daily Tuesday.

However, some local health experts from Guangdong have reportedly said that the 32-year-old television producer had been confirmed as a SARS patient.

But final and authoritative results have not been reached by experts from the ministry and local health authorities, Mao said.

To help the investigation along, clinical and epidemiology experts from the World Health Organization (WHO) met with Chinese experts in Guangzhou and Beijing yesterday to analyze test results, Mao said.

He added that these findings were not sufficient to reach a solid conclusion and that further tests were needed.

Doctors from the hospital in Guangzhou, capital of Guangdong Province, said that the patient, surnamed Luo, has had a normal temperature for nearly a week and was in stable condition.

None of the 81 people quarantined after having contact with him had shown any SARS symptoms, such as a high temperature or breathing difficulty.

The man was first diagnosed with pneumonia in one of his lungs on December 16, and was officially reported as a suspected SARS case last Saturday.

Meanwhile, the Ministry of Science and Technology said it would tighten laboratory safety for those handling cases of SARS, following a meeting held in Beijing yesterday.

According to the new rules, any SARS-related studies must be conducted within officially-approved laboratories, and researchers must pass safety training and get qualification certificates before they enter their laboratories.

Also, all samples of the SARS virus in China are to be sent to several official laboratories, such as the one located at the Chinese Centre for Diseases Control and Prevention, which can meet strict safety standards to keep the deadly virus.

To ensure the public stays informed, the Ministry of Health will begin releasing information on the spread of infectious diseases including HIV/AIDS and SARS, as well as health accidents in the weeks to come.

The ministry will make this information public on its web site(www.moh.gov.cn) or through other channels, including various media outfits.

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