The central government says it will undertake a series of
concrete measures to help control and prevent the spread of the
deadly bird flu, the State Council decided at a meeting presided by
Premier Wen Jiabao Thursday in Beijing.
The areas affected by the flu must report new cases in a timely
and accurate manner, cull all the infected poultry and sterilize
affected regions.
Areas not hit by avian flu, also known as the H5N1 virus, are
urged to take strict precautionary measures, especially at large
poultry farms and major poultry producing regions.
All levels of government are to allocate money to cover
prevention and flu-control expense, and compensate people who
suffer financial losses from the extermination of their
poultry.
The nation will also step up scientific research on the virus
and undertake the production and storage of related vaccines.
The quarantine on poultry imports will be strengthened and a
crackdown on the smuggling of poultry will be undertaken.
In addition, raising awareness on the disease and how it can be
prevented will be a priority.
The government has also said it will set up a system to monitor
and respond to sudden animal disease outbreaks.
The Ministry of Commerce, along with the General Administration
of Customs, State Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection
and Quarantine, and the Ministry of Agriculture, announced Thursday
an immediate ban of export of poultry and related products by
Chinese farmers from areas hit by the flu.
Poultry imports from the Republic of Korea, Japan, Viet Nam,
Cambodia, Thailand, Laos, Pakistan and Indonesia where deadly bird
flu cases have been reported were banned as of Wednesday.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhang Qiyue said Thursday
that claims saying China is the source of the Southeast Asian bird
flu outbreak are incorrect, unfounded, unscientific and, therefore,
irresponsible.
Avian influenza is a disease that physicians have known about
for 100 years, Zhang said. The sources and infection channels of
the disease follow epidemiologic patterns and require scientific
study to understand.
Officials from the World Health Organization said earlier that
it was too early to target any country as the source of disease,
Zhang noted.
Taiwan has reported new cases of bird flu in ducks and has
increased the number of fowl it plans to cull to around 50,000,
Reuters quoted officials as saying Thursday.
Around 10,000 ducks will be destroyed after some were found to
be infected with the flu in the southwestern county of Yunlin, said
Huang Kuo-ching, an official in charge of animal health
inspection.
(China Daily January 30, 2004)