Police said Monday that a man who spread a rumor about a SARS outbreak in a military hospital in Hebei Province was sentenced to be re-educated in a labor camp for two years, Shanghai Daily reported.

The man, surnamed Liu, said that more than 50 patients at the 252 Hospital in Baoding had been confirmed with severe acute respiratory syndrome and one patient had died.

He spread the rumor to boost traffic on his website, police said.

The Ministry of Health said in a statement that patients at the hospital being treated for sore throats and fever had an infection caused by adenovirus type 55, a common cause of respiratory infections.

(China.org.cn February 29, 2012)

据《上海日报》报道，警方周一表示，一名男子因造谣河北省一家部队医院爆发非典，被判劳教2年。

该刘姓男子称，保定252医院50多名患者确诊患严重急性呼吸道综合症，已有一名病人去世。

警方表示，他散布谣言是为了增加自己网站的点击率。

卫生部发表声明表示，在该医院因喉咙痛、发烧而接受医治的患者感染了腺病毒55型，这是呼吸道感染的常见病因。