The Chinese Ministry of Agriculture(MOA) Saturday required the
whole country to take emergency measures to curb further spreading
bird flu shortly after they confirmed that the reported death of
migratory birds in west China's Qinghai
Province was caused by the deadly bird flu virus.
The ministry said the national bird flu reference laboratory
confirmed that the latest death of migratory birds in Niannaisuoma
Village, in Gangcha County of Qinghai Province, reported on May 4
was caused by the deadly H5N1 strain of the bird flu virus.
Sources from the MOA confirmed that some migratory birds had
been killed by the virus migrated from Southeast Asia.
According to the national bird flu reference laboratory,
different from that spreading in China, the bird flu virus detected
in southeast Asia is more deadly and possibly contains a gene for
human contraction.
To bar the further spread of the deadly bird flu virus, the MOA
has asked the whole country to pay keen attention to the new
confirmed cases of migratory birds and to take effective measures
to curb possibly spreading the epidemic.
The MOA asked veterinarian institutions across China to contact
local forestry departments to know about the species and territory
of migratory birds in their regions to improve emergency projects
and to take prevention and control measures.
The ministry noted that all regions should take essential
quarantine measures, prohibiting people to enter the habitats of
migratory birds, and stop contact with poultry. Disinfecting
measures should be taken effectively to stem the spreading of the
virus.
Everyone in the country should enhance monitoring for the
epidemic and improve their early-warning system, noted the
ministry.
Habitats and routes of migratory birds and regions covered by
rivers and lakes, or frequented by water fowl should be taken as
the major monitoring points. If spotted, abnormal diseases or
deaths among migratory birds should be reported as soon as
possible.
The ministry has also called for taking compulsory immunity
measures on poultry with habitats and routes of migratory birds and
the nearby regions as well as large poultry farms as the
emphasis.
According to the ministry, scientific knowledge and measures
should be popularized and taken in the move of bird flu prevention
and control around the country.
Furthermore, as the prevention and control work for the highly
deadly bird flu virus is so arduous and important, it should be
taken under the joint efforts of all related departments and
institutions, said the ministry.
According to the MOA, there have been no reports of the disease
spotted in Qinghai spreading to human beings or fowl.
Qinghai took emergency measures by closing off spots to prevent
people and fowl from contacting wild birds. Quarantine measures
have also been adopted.
Since China has a mature bird flu diagnosis, monitoring and
prevention system, people need not be too worried but should be
confident that the new cases can be brought under control as
effective measures have been taken by the government, said Cui
Shangjin, an expert from the national bird flu reference
laboratory.
This is the first report of H5N1 virus detected in China since
the country successfully brought 50 cases of bird flu under control
last year.
From January 27 to March 16, China reported 49 confirmed bird
flu cases in 16 provinces, municipalities or autonomous regions of
the country. With measures taken by China's governments at all
levels, the deadly virus was curbed in over one month.
The 15th case reported last July in east China's Anhui
Province was successfully brought under control pretty soon,
too. All those cases had no human contraction in China.
(Xinhua News Agency May 22, 2005)