China's Ministry of Health on Wednesday said that China has
entered the annual peak period of flu outbreak, but chances of a
large-scale flu outbreak in the near future are low.
Since December last year, the number of flu patients in
hospitals has been on the rise. The situation in north China,
including Beijing and Tianjin, is more serious than that in the
south, Mao Qunan, a ministry spokesman said.
"There is little possibility of a large-scale flu outbreak in
the near future, but small outbreaks in some regions can not be
avoided," Mao said.
He said that the overall number of flu cases since October was
still less than that of the same period last year.
According to the Beijing municipal disease control center,
Beijing has witnessed a noticeable rise in the number patients with
symptoms of flu. Local hospitals receive more than 4,700 patients
with symptoms of flu each day, 58 percent being children under 15
and five percent senior citizens above 60 years of age.
Beijing municipal health authorities have called for close
monitoring of people suffering from respiratory infectious
diseases.
The Municipal Health Bureau ordered medical workers at disease
control centers to remain on high alert and report the first
occurrence of fever involving a group of people and handle such
cases as quickly as possible.
The bureau also urged local hospitals to have more doctors and
nurses on duty and take measures to prevent infections being passed
between patients.
(Xinhua News Agency January 11, 2007)