As fears of a global pandemic rise, China is stepping up efforts to increase surveillance and improve responses to animal and human infections of bird flu.
It is also pondering measures such as stockpiling emergency materials, including anti-flu drug Tamiflu, in case the bird-flu virus mutates into a strain which is transmitted from human to human.
The latest alarm was in north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, where about 2,600 birds died following a recent outbreak caused by the deadly H5N1 strain of the virus, according to the Ministry of Agriculture.
At a State Council meeting, Vice-Premier Hui Liangyu called for intensified efforts to prevent, monitor and control the spread of bird flu.
He ordered government departments to focus on prevention and improve the emergency mechanism to face up to a possible outbreak.
"It's peak time for the bird flu outbreak. The situation is stark," he admitted.
He underscored the need for effective medical treatment plans if human cases of infection are spotted
Also yesterday, Foreign Ministry spokesman Kong Quan told a regular press briefing that China is concerned about the epidemic and has set up a nationwide monitoring network and pre-schemes for emergency. He said China has strengthened the quarantine of imports and exports to prevent the epidemic from spreading.
After the case near Hohhot, Inner Mongolia, was detected, China has culled more than 91,000 birds within a 3-kilometer radius of the farm, and imposed a 21-day quarantine on poultry in the areas, said Aphaluck Bhatiasevi, Communications Officer of the World Health Organization (WHO) Beijing Office.
"As of Wednesday, we haven't seen further outbreaks or human infections," Bhatiasevi told China Daily.
She said China responded to the outbreak swiftly even though it would take time to be sure that the situation was under control.
China has been working on plans to deal with the virus even before bird flu began spreading to Europe and Africa, causing widespread panic.
Apart from "strong political commitments," Bhatiasevi said she has seen many positive signs.
A week ago, the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Agriculture said they would set up a joint mechanism to curb the spread of the disease and prescribed measures on inspection, monitoring and reporting.
In Shanghai, authorities are monitoring entry-exit points and the quarantine department has banned imports of poultry products from bird flu-stricken countries.
"We are putting more efforts into vaccine and detection research," Ministry of Health spokesman Mao Qun'an said yesterday.
"And we are striving to detect the outbreak and respond as soon as possible," he said.
Shanghai Roche Pharmaceuticals Ltd - maker of Tamiflu - said yesterday that it already collaborates, and is seeking further tie-ups, with companies worldwide to speed up production of Tamiflu.
But Xu Chao, a Roche media officer in Shanghai, said: "It is highly unlikely that we can fulfil large Tamiflu orders at short notice." China, which does not currently produce any Tamiflu, needs to import the drug, she said.
While current flu vaccines offer no protection against bird flu, lab and animal experiments have shown that Tamiflu appears effective.
But the Swiss drug-maker has repeatedly said it would not give up its exclusive patent on the drug to ease the worldwide shortage.
Xu said the anti-viral drug is available at leading hospitals and is sold at a lower price compared to the United States and Europe.
But several top hospitals in Beijing said yesterday that they have never prescribed the medicine; and only Peking University First Hospital said the medication was out of stock. A 10-pill course costs about 300 yuan (US$37).
(China Daily October 21, 2005)
