CHINESE pop singer Gao Feng has been in a coma for four days after being brought down by PCP (pneumocystis carinii pneumonia), a fatal contagious disease which is caused by an unusual fungus that could destroy the function of people’s lungs.

　　The cause of the disease is still unknown. Now Gao’s life is being sustained with the aid of a heart-lung pump and nutritional fluids.

　　Though PCP is mostly caused by AIDS, Wang Fusheng, AIDS expert with Beijing 302 Hospital, says that PCP is not necessarily AIDS. And there is no evidence to show that Gao is affected with AIDS.

　　The disease is contagious, but doctors say only very few people with extremely low immunity could be affected. Gao was one of the very few cases of such disease in China. It is said that the disease is rare even in the world.

　　According to the doctors, if the disease was diagnosed in its early stage, there could be chances to save the patient. But to Gao, a victim in the terminal stage of the disease, hope is slim.