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| ANALYZING SARS: GEOGRAPHICAL DIFFUSION AND HINDRANCE IN CHINA |
| DING Si-bao, ZHAO Wei, XIANG Wei |
| Geography Department, Northeast Normal University, Changchun 130024, China |
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Abstract The outbreak of SARS and its rapid diffusion bring so much influence to our social life and economy, however it gave us one scarce chance to observe and analyze its geography diffusion, to earn some experience for SARS and other epidemical diseases. Perhaps without any hesitation, we may infer its diffusion is obviously a geographical process, which means the diffusion in geographical space. During the first process of its diffusion, hierarchical diffusion dominated, and followed by some hindrance in its diffusion, which marked the second process. We noticed that the first process gave great chances to the disease diffusion, and it spread virus so rapidly that many lives were taken away, and also one foundation was established for its following loafing. It spread through crowds, space(such as from Guangdong to Beijing) and time. Some measures such as medical treatment, isolation and defendable measure were taken peremptorily after scientists finding its severity. And the diffusion of SARS was restrained by hindrance. This article describes the diffusion manner of the epidemic disease and the forming of geographical situation in China(the main locus are Guangzhou and Beijing, and capital city of each province is the next emphasis space). At the same time, the distribution made us worried more, for the article points out that centralization may aggravate the negative effect. Therefore, this article notices the geographical condition where haven't discovered SARS case, and considers the existing geographical hindrance, just like geographical distance(distance attenuation), geographical environment(something like ultraviolet radiation may help prevent it), characteristics of industry(industries which can cause numerous migrant population may bring the disease easily, such as finance, commerce, tourism and education, etc). We also noticed some occasions(small mass of population) might prevent it. Through analyzing these hindrances, the article offered the countermeasures against the diffusion of epidemic disease. We may take out the patients from the central cities, and some geography environment remind us its function to accept the patients such as Qingzang Plateau in national level. Its non-hindrance diffusion reminds us the importance of preventing it in rural areas and some medical centers in a county need establishing.
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Received: 02 June 2003
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2004, Vol. 19 
