An Indian is among the suspected foreign patients of the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome epidemic in the Chinese capital Beijing, where over a hundred people have died due to the killer disease, a senior official said on Tuesday.

"So far there are three suspected SARS cases among foreigners in Beijing," Cai Fuchao, director of the Publicity Department of the Beijing Municipal Committee, told reporters at a special briefing on the latest situation on SARS outbreak.

"Two cases have been ruled out after further diagnoses were made, and one person from India is now receiving medical treatment," Cai said.

Cai said four foreigners, belonging to the United States, Canada, Australia and Kyrgyztan, and one patient each from Hong Kong and Taiwan have been discharged from hospitals in Beijing upon recovery.

He said the prevention and treatment of SARS cases among foreigners in Beijing have been a 'very important task' on the Municipal government's agenda and thanked the overseas community here for their 'active support and cooperation' to fight the disease.

The first case of SARS among rural farmers in the outlying areas of the city had also been reported Cai said. Nine farmers in suburban Beijing were confirmed to be SARS patients and as of Monday, Beijing had 1,897 confirmed SARS cases, he said.

As part of Beijing's prevention and control work against SARS, the municipal government is planning to set up a shield for healthy people, protecting them from being infected.

Clinics dealing with fever patients would be standardised to avoid possible cross-infection, Cai said. The government will observe people in close contact with patients, improve work on epidemic investigation and will also make efforts to improve protection on migrant workers in Beijing and the construction sites.

Out of the total confirmed cases as of Monday, 169 cases were in the age group of upto 20 years, 1,391 cases in the 20-50 age group and 337 cases among those above the age of 50. The city had 955 cases of SARS among males and 942 cases among females.

In terms of profession, Beijing had 335 SARS cases among medical workers, 229 cases among officials and clerks, while 198 cases belonged to retired persons.

Cai said there are eight confirmed cases among pre-school children and 136 cases in students of primary, secondary and vocational schools and institutes of higher learning.

The number of people isolated in Beijing following close contact with confirmed and suspected SARS patients was 16,436 as of Monday and upto 563 as of Sunday, according to the latest local epidemiological survey.

Meanwhile, campus dormitory buildings of two universities in Beijing are to be lifted from quarantine, which was imposed about two weeks ago, a senior official said.

PTI