A Hong Kong daily newspaper yesterday reported that Guangzhou No. 8 Hospital, the biggest lazaretto of the provincial capital, quarantined dozens of patients with unknown fevers-like illnesses, who might be infected by severe acute respiratory syndrome or the H5N1 virus.

However, Tang Xiaoping, the president of the hospital, said they never had patients with unidentified fevers and didn't know where the reporters found the information.

Xiong Yuanda, the spokesman of Guangzhou's health bureau, denied the report and welcomed Hong Kong and Macau reporters to visit and investigate.

Guangzhou's disease control and inspection center said no bird flu cases have been found in the city.

Liao Xinbo, the vice president of the provincial health department, said he received dozens of phone calls about the issue from Hong Kong and Macau media since Saturday afternoon.

Liao asked the general office and the emergency office of the department who both said they found nothing.

He then called the president of the No. 8 hospital and was told there were no such cases.

Liao said if SARS or the bird flu was found in Guangdong, the provincial government would take measures and notify the Hong Kong government as soon as possible to jointly launch a "People's War" to cure and prevent it from spreading.