A Chinese flu expert said Monday that a large-scale flu epidemic
was unlikely in China this winter and spring despite a spike in the
number of flu sufferers.
Surveillance results showed that from December to January, the
incidence of flu had seen a "rising trend", said Shu Yuelong with
the National Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
The virus types spread at the same time the year before were
slightly different from this year, he said.
However, a flu epidemic was unlikely at this time of the year,
as "the types and sub-types of flu virus had no significant
mutation," he said in an online interview.
The incidence of flu this year was lower than the average of
previous years, both in the north and the south. The "rising trend"
was noticed in a comparison between the current period with October
last year, Shu said.
Vaccination was an effective way to avoid flu and was proven to
be safe, he said.
However, people who were allergic to eggs or had other severe
allergies and women less than three months pregnant could not take
the vaccination, he said.
Shu also told people to wear masks, get exercise, keep warm and
form hygienic habits to prevent flu, and those who had flu should
rest at home.
Parts of China, including Beijing, have seen rising cases of flu
recently, with some outpatient hospitals receiving up to 5,000
people, sparking worries that a flu epidemic might happen this
winter.
Shu said China started monitoring flu in the 1950s. The country
joined the international flu monitoring network set up by the World
Health Organization in 1981.
So far, the government had established 63 surveillance
laboratories and 197 national-level flu surveillance hospitals,
covering 31 provinces and regions.
Last year, the Ministry of Health issued an emergency response
guidance for flu pandemic, and strengthened surveillance and timely
reporting of local authorities.
(Xinhua News Agency January 16, 2007)