GUANGZHOU, Dec. 29 (Xinhuanet) -- All the 81 contacts including 42close contacts of a suspected SARS patient did not show any symptom of the disease and four had been discharged from hospital after quarantine, according to information released on Monday by the Guangdong Provincial Health Administration.

    The four people were discharged on Sunday after 14 days of quarantine.

    The suspected SARS patient has registered a normal body temperature for five consecutive days and is now in stable condition. He has no cough or headache. The symptoms in his alimentary canal have disappeared and his appetite has improved.

    The patient, a 32-year-old freelance TV worker, lives in Panyu District of Guangzhou, capital city of south China's Guangdong Province. He had a fever and a headache on Dec.16 and went to see a doctor four days later. He was diagnosed with pneumonia at the No. 1 Hospital affiliated to Zhongshan University. He was transferred to the quarantine ward of Guangzhou No. 8 People's Hospital on Dec. 24.

    It was the first suspected SARS case since May 23 when WHO lifted the SARS travel advisory against Guangdong Province.

    The Chinese Ministry of Health requires quarantine for 14 days after contact with a SARS patient, compared to a World Health Organization requirement of 10 days. Enditem