Efforts stepped up to curb bird flu in China

cctv.com 02-05-2004 13:12

The Chinese Ministry of Agriculture says so far the fast-spreading bird flu has not resulted in any human infections and governments at all levels have responded to the outbreak of the disease by implementing prompt quarantine and vaccination measures, said senior Chinese agriculture and health officials at a press conference this morning in Beijing.

Up to now, millions of fowls have been slaughtered to cut off the transmission of the highly contagious virus. Building on lessons learned from the battle to contain SARS last year, a daily reporting system has been set up to ensure the smooth flow of sharing information. New laws and regulations on animal health are also being drafted.

China's Vice-Minister of Agriculture Liu Jian says 23 bird flu cases have been confirmed since the eruption of the disease was first reported on January 27. Up till now, nearly 50,000 sick fowls have died of the disease. Resulting from prompt preventive efforts, more than 1.2 million fowls have been culled nationwide. And the vice-minister reports that no cases of humans contracting the disease have been reported.

Liu Jian said: "The spreading of bird flu in China is highlighted in three aspects. First of all, all of the affected areas are quite remote and far apart. Secondly, the situation in China's southern regions is more serious. Thirdly, the H5N1 virus, the chief culprit of the disease, is highly contagious and deadly to poultry. Winter and Spring are known to be the peak season for communicable diseases. And the quarantine and vaccination system for animals is still quite inadequate in China. That's why bird flu containment remains an arduous mission for China."

Liu went on to say that, according to China's Animal Quarantine Law, a nationwide emergency-response package plan has been carried out to slaughter sick poultry and enforce vaccination on all other poultry being raised in areas within a five-kilometer radius from affected areas. Moreover, all fowl markets in a 10-kilometer radius around problem areas have been ordered to suspend their business.

Liu said: “We have established a daily reporting mechanism and four-level diagnosis program to get the latest facts on the situation. The initial stage necessitates experts to make clinical diagnosis. In the second step, professional labs at the provincial level will examine the results and make preliminary judgments. Following that, the State Reference Lab will examine the virus samples and determine the type of strain. The final results can only be confirmed and released by the Ministry of Agriculture."

Liu says a close sharing of information with the World Health Organization and the UN Food and Agriculture Organization has been in place ever since the onset of the bird flu outbreak. The two UN agencies have sent experts to assess and assist China's containment. In addition, joining hands with the country's health authorities, the ministry has also endeavored to ensure the safety of the food supply through strict import bans on poultry products from affected countries.

Editor:Zheng  Source:CCTV.com