Health checks on Chinese leader to calm Sars fears

The Chinese president, Hu Jintao, is receiving immunity-boosting injections, cutting down meetings and undergoing a daily health check to ensure he does not stir Sars fears on his first overseas trip.

China has suffered most from the disease and its leader is setting an example ahead of his visits to Russia, France, Kazakhstan and Mongolia, with chest x-rays, blood tests and temperature readings.

Mr Hu and his entourage will also receive five injections to boost their bodies' defences before leaving on May 26.

Although the number of new Sars cases in China fell last week, the foreign ministry said it was taking no chances ahead of high-profile state meetings.

"Until they board the plane, isolation measures will be implemented," the vice-foreign minister, Liu Guchang, said.

In a sure sign that China has secured a new openness over Sars, the official People's Daily interviewed the doctor who exposed the initial cover-up.