A teacher from Wharfedale has decided to continue her voluntary work in China - despite being based near an area infected by the deadly Sars virus.

Veronica Schmitt, who only flew to the country to begin a two year contract with VSO in February, is based in the Hezhou region close to Guangzhou - where the Chinese outbreak is believed to have started.

A month ago, when news of the aggressive, flu-like condition had started tearing around the globe but was still being officially denied in China, she asked her college in Babu Town for advice.

The 63-year-old from Addingham was informed by the administration that 'our government has told us it is under control and you just need to ensure you don't catch cold'.

Now, however, the Chinese Government has finally owned up to the extent of the problem, which actually started last year. To date more than 3,300 people have caught Sars in the country, and nearly 150 have died.

Contacting the Ilkley Gazette by e-mail, English teacher Miss Schmitt said: "At our college, the management stance has altered dramatically.

"Now, everywhere is being disinfected, the open windows are even more open to ensure proper circulation of air, all May Day holiday was cancelled, all seven days, and we are teaching all the time.

"The situation here is rather reminiscent of the Foot and Mouth outbreak, with a trough of disinfectant at the college gate and extra security to vet people going in and out.

"Every where has been sprayed. Today, en route to the canteen, I saw lots of students with buckets of brown liquid. I asked if it was disinfectant and was told that it was medicine and I had to collect mine from the office.

"None of the students is allowed home, if they do go, they can't come back. We have been told to avoid any crowded places. Non college visitors are being vetted at the gate, and so on. It is not an ideal situation and many of the volunteers who came in my group have been on the phone, uncertain what to do."

Sars, or Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome, has claimed the lives of at least 333 people to date.

This week the World Health Organisation (WHO) gave some of the 20 or so countries affected, which includes Hong Kong, Canada, Mongolia, Singapore, and Vietnam, some hope by announcing that the spread of the virus may have peaked.

But WHO fears the situation is still getting worse in China, where the country's biggest bank is holding all notes for 24 hours, long enough for the Sars germs to die.

Banks are also sterilising notes by exposing them to ultraviolet light for an hour, and plan to start cleaning money with disinfectant. Theatres, cinemas, and Internet cafes across the country, meanwhile, have been closed in a bid to stop the outbreak spreading.

This week 203 new cases were reported in China and there are 9000 people in quarantine.

But despite these alarming signs, Miss Schmitt says she has no intention of abandoning her post.

She said: "VSO are currently leaving it up to us to decide whether or not to return to the UK temporarily until the situation improves. It has definitely spread over the country but according to the college management, it hasn't been diagnosed in Hezhou, which is our local area.

"Most of us feel that we have just 'got our feet under the table' and to go home would be unsettling and also be letting the students down just before exams. Additionally, we feel that to travel now might be riskier than staying put. On balance, therefore, Jean, my co-volunteer and I have decided to dig in and hope for the best.

She said while the risk of catching Sars was very small, the consequences would be very worrying. "The medical care here is not so good and in some areas quite poor. WHO is doubtful that all the hospitals are taking rigorous preventative measures.

"Additionally, should you get Sars, you will be isolated and access to you by VSO or the Embassy and so on would not be allowed. From what I understand, hospitals here don't provide food and it is up to your friends to bring it in!"

Out of the 107 VSO volunteers working on projects designed to improve the lot of ordinary people in China, 66 have now left, and most are planning to return when the 'coast is clear'.

This has given the charity, which is having to organise all of their paperwork, visas and flights, a massive extra workload.

Miss Schmitt, who has

previously worked in America, France, Germany, and Italy, is one of only 33 who have decided to remain.