The Asian Development Bank (ADB) said Monday that it has approved two grants totaling 4 million US dollars to help deal with the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndromes (SARS) in the Asia-Pacific region.

One technical assistance grant of 2 million dollars is for China to help prevent cross-border transmission of SARS in its relatively poor western region, and develop rapid epidemic detection and response strategies, the Manila-based multilateral lending agency said.

In China, the country hit hardest by the disease, the government has been taking steps to stop the epidemic spiraling, but the country's western region needs to build capacity to respond to SARS, particularly in rural areas and among the poor, the bank said in a statement.

The other grant of 2 million dollars is to provide emergency support for the Asia-Pacific region, excluding China, where many governments and health systems are ill-prepared to deal with the SARS outbreak due to tight budgets and slow mobilization of resources.

The grant, to be carried out over the next six months, will focus on preventing and containing SARS by financing the vital first steps in a medium- to long-term effort to boost the region'shealth systems, the bank said.

Coordinating joint regional initiatives with agencies such as the Association of Southeast Asian Nations and the South Pacific Commission, the regional technical assistance will carry out public health assessment, surveillance, training and institutionalcapacity building, as well as the emergency provision of public health equipment, material and supplies, it said.

The two grants are part of an action plan approved by the ADB earlier this month. According to the plan, the ADB is likely to provide grants and loans amounting to nearly 30 million dollars tohelp its developing members to cope with SARS.