Chinese Military Doctor Who Leaked The SARS Outbreak Jiang Yanyong Died At The Age Of 91
JAKARTA - A Chinese military doctor who fully exposed the SARS epidemic when it hit Beijing in 2003, Jiang Yanyong died at the age of 91. This was conveyed by Jiang's colleagues and several local media, as reported by Reuters, Wednesday, March 15.In an open letter sent to the media in 2003, Jiang Yanyong accused the government of deliberately not reporting the spread of the respiratory disease. Even though the disease killed nearly 800 people worldwide.News of his death was not reported in Chinese state media, such as norms with politically sensitive public figures.Hu Jia, a human rights activist who claims to be Jiang's colleague, said he died at a Beijing military hospital.Two other Jiang's family friends, Bao Pu and Bao Jian, posted on Twitter about his death earlier this week. No one immediately responded to a request for comment from Reuters."Dr. Jiang Yanyong, who revealed the hiding of the SARS epidemic and is known to have dared to tell the truth, has passed away," Bao Pu wrote on Twitter.Several media including the South China Morning Post said he died on Saturday from pneumonia, citing sources. Reuters could not immediately confirm this.Jiang's death occurred during the annual Chinese parliamentary session, a politically sensitive moment when security measures were stepped up in the capital.Born to a wealthy banking family and longtime member of the ruling Chinese Communist Party, Jiang served as chief surgeon at a major military hospital in Beijing.After his letter accusing authorities of covering up SARS in 2003, the Chinese government later fired several officials including the health minister, and said it would be more transparent in responding to the crisis.Jiang - who in an open letter in 2004 also criticized the Communist Party leadership for the 1989 bloody crackdown on pro-democracy demonstrations, a taboo topic in China - said in 2009 that he later spent months under house arrest and was barred from traveling abroad.SARS infected 8,908 people worldwide after appearing in southern China's Guangdong province, which eventually killed 774 people, according to World Health Organization data.