China to Coordinate Flu
fight
(Shanghaidaily,
February 06, 2004)
With 12 mainland regions
investigating bird flu cases, China sought yesterday to coordinate
flu-fighting efforts across its vast territory.
Meanwhile, the Ministry of Agriculture confirmed an outbreak in the southern
province of Yunnan, where a new suspected case was also being investigated,
China Central Television said on its evening newscast.
Another new suspected case was found in the northwestern province of Gansu,
CCTV said. It did not say what kind of birds were infected or give any other
details.
The confirmation was based on a report from the National Bird Flu Reference
Laboratory. No person has been reported to have contracted the disease so
far, according to government officials.
The local government in Yunnan has been taking measures including fowl
slaughter and compulsory vaccination to prevent the spread of the outbreak.
A new National Bird Flu Prevention Headquarters has opened in Beijing to
oversee regional efforts to kill all sick birds and keep close watch on
people who handled them.
Yesterday, the Health Ministry ordered daily inspections of markets
nationwide, saying local officials should ensure that live animals are
separated from meat products in different stalls and also check sanitation
and disinfection.
Local health authorities should send well-trained staff to the key trade
markets every day and check whether live poultry as well as fresh and frozen
poultry meat sold at the markets have passed quarantine, the ministry said.
Traders who fail to meet relevant health regulations will bear
administrative or legal consequences, the ministry said.
The ministry has also requested local health authorities to set up hot lines
for the public and deal immediately with complaints about suspected illegal
production and selling of poultry.
Authorities have been killing poultry within a 3-kilometer radius of a
suspected outbreak and inoculating poultry within a 5-kilometer radius.
Hundreds of thousands of birds have been slaughtered, and the government has
promised compensation to farmers - 25 yuan (US$3) for each duck and 12 yuan
for each chicken.
New regulations stipulate that new poultry dwellings must be built at least
500 meters away from any residence, the Beijing Youth Daily said. It wasn't
clear when the rules would take effect or how they would be enforced in a
country where many farm families raise chickens in their yards.
The ministry of Railways said that animals without quarantine certificates
wouldn't be allowed on trains and planes. It also said that ships entering
China must undergo inspections.
The ministry of Communications yesterday urged local communications sectors
to strengthen quarantine inspection of cross-border vehicles in an emergency
notice.
The ministry required its branches to do a special check and disinfection of
vehicles from the bird flu contaminated countries and regions, keeping on
guard against allowing in infected poultry products.
Minister of Agriculture Du Qinglin told two United Nations organizations
yesterday that the bird flu situation in China is now under control, and
China is fully confident that it can do a good job of preventing the spread
of the highly contagious virus.
The minister explained the country's efforts to put the virus under control
to the representatives of the China offices of WHO and Food and Agriculture
Organization, and some diplomats stationed in Beijing.