New efforts are being made by the nation's health authorities to prevent researchers from being infected with the SARS (severe acute respiratory syndrome) virus in laboratories and prevent the virus from flowing outside of work areas.

Officials are pressing labs to prevent accidents, saying it is vital to strictly obey safety regulations and prevent the virus from spreading out of laboratories.

The new intensity comes after the infection of a SARS researcher in a Taiwan lab.

Labs are the only known source of the virus now, Ruan Li of the Chinese Centre for Diseases Control and Prevention (CDC) said on Friday in Beijing.

The safety situation at the laboratories on the Chinese mainland so far is due to the strict control measures in effect. They include sound hardware, effective management regulations, normative operation and strict controls of the microbes used in experiments, Ruan, who directs the Viruses Disease Centre, noted.

Ministry of Health officials have issued a notice to strengthen storage and management of SARS virus samples, indicating all containers must be stored in facilities that have been approved by health authorities.

The Ministry of Science and Technology on Friday also called on tighter management at SARS labs, noting that individuals, institutions and substandard laboratories are not allowed to conduct viral research without official approval.

Inspectors have been sent out to check safety conditions of laboratories in Beijing, Guangzhou and Wuhan cities and Heilongjiang Province.

SARS virus samples should be stored in Chinese CDC, Guangdong CDC, Beijing CDC, and the Academy of Military Medical Sciences.

"I feel quite safe now in the laboratory except for lengthy tiredness since the outbreak of SARS," Duan Shumin, director of the Virus Resources Centre of the Chinese CDC told China Daily at the gate of the P3 laboratory for SARS virus.

She said she feels safe because her lab staff strictly obeys regulations all the time.

She said the particular negative effect brought on by SARS research work is fatigue, from stress and pressure.

"I have been insisting on doing exercises for two hours every day to keep my health," said Duan.

Taiwan reported this winter's first SARS case on Wednesday. A laboratroy researcher contracted SARS at work.

Taiwan health authorities said three people who had contact with Taiwan's new SARS patient had not yet been reached by the government as of Friday.

Up to now, a total of 34 people in Taiwan and more than 200 people in Singapore have been placed under medical observation.

No one has shown symptoms.

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