A new type of air-purifying machine that can successfully kill the SARS (severe acute respiratory syndrome) virus was approved by experts in Beijing recently.

The Xinjiashi brand machine, invented and produced by a Shenzhen-based optical company, is 99 to 99.68 percent effective in eliminating the SARS virus, according to the results of a one-month test by experts with The Ministry of Science and Technology and Ministry of Health.

The machine can be used in offices, residences and public places for guarding against and preventing SARS, experts said.

(Xinhua News Agency February 19, 2004)