A 35-YEAR-old Guangdong man has been confirmed as the Chinese mainland's third suspected SARS (severe acute respiratory syndrome) case, according to the Guangzhou-based Southern Metropolis newspaper.

　　The man, a self-employed businessman, reported symptoms of the disease on December 31, and was sent to the infection section of Guangdong Provincial People's Hospital on January 6 for specialized treatment. Experts later confirmed him as a suspected SARS case. He is now being treated at the No.8 People's Hospital of Guangzhou, the city's SARS designated hospital.

　　News from the Provincial Health Department last Monday said that the patient was in recovery and that none of the 28 people who had had contact with him in the days before he was sent to hospital have reported any abnormal symptoms.

　　"As the three cases are scattered and isolated from each other, it doesn't mean there is any public health crisis in the city so far," the newspaper quoted World Health Organization (WHO) experts as saying.

　　Compared with last year, the disease appeared to be less infectious and patients were able to recover more easily.

　　The WHO experts warned that the Spring Festival would be an especially dangerous period for a SARS outbreak and called on health authorities to take strict measures against the disease over the holiday.

　　In Shanghai, booklets advising residents how to avoid SARS have been handed out in local enterprises and work units. Hai Xia