China will establish several monitoring centers in rural areas to fight bird flu this year, according to the Ministry of Health.

The new measure is being taken in addition to a national influenza-monitoring network that covers all the 31 provinces, autonomous regions and municipalities on the mainland, the ministry said.

The decision announced on Monday was made after outbreaks of bird flu earlier this year in some places of the country and in some neighboring nations, along with reports of human bird flu in Viet Nam and Thailand.

The rural centers will be used for flu strain detection and monitoring, as well as for specimen collection, testing and analysis, to enhance the country's capabilities to deal with the flu.

Bird flu, or avian influenza, was reported in 16 provinces, autonomous regions and municipalities in China earlier this year, as well as several other countries in Asia.

Human infection of H5N1 virus also occurred in Viet Nam and Thailand, arousing serious concerns from the international community.

The disease led to the culling of tens of millions of chickens and other birds, and the deaths of 32 people in Thailand and Viet Nam.

Yesterday in Shenzhen, a leading US vaccine expert said that China should be extremely cautious and take effective measures to deal with a possible bird flu pandemic.

"If all goes wrong, the influenza disease of H5N1 avian virus that has spread extensively in south Asia could start a pandemic in China," said David Ho, inventor of the AIDS "cocktail" treatment.

"The next pandemic is inevitable. In fact, it is overdue," said Ho, now the director of US Aaron Diamond AIDS Research Center at Rockefeller University.

"China should plan for the epidemic that is coming," he added.

A detailed preparatory plan for major microbial threats is needed to provide abundant vaccines and professionals to treat the disease and to upgrade the alert systems.

Ho made his remarks at the Nature China Voices Forum held on Tuesday in Shenzhen by the UK's Nature Publishing Group, the Graduate School at Shenzhen of Tsinghua University and University Town of Shenzhen.

(China Daily November 24, 2004)