China has developed a low cost way to test patients with symptoms of the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) virus in just a few hours.

The major designer at the Zhujiang Hospital of China's First Military Medical University, Che Xiaoyan says the new way can detect SARS carriers in two or three hours by just using a blood sample.

The test is as easy as a blood test and so is very low cost.

A persistent high temperature is the first symptom of the SARS disease.

(CRI August 24, 2004)