As previously suspected bird flu cases in three provinces were
confirmed and new suspected cases were reported in seven other
Chinese regions, an increasing number of Chinese localities are
taking measures to handle the deadly disease as well as to ensure a
safe and sufficient supply of poultry on the market.
After a suspected bird flu outbreak was reported in east China's
Shanghai municipality, the municipal government issued a notice on
Sunday, banning the trade and slaughter of poultry at wholesale or
farm produce markets.
The industry and commerce department has examined 721 farm
produce markets and seized 97 kilograms of dead poultry since the
issuing of the notice. And a total of 690 live poultry markets were
closed on Monday.
Poultry slaughter will be made at spots authorized by the local
government and some farm produce enterprises with good reputation
will be authorized to purchase and sell poultry specially.
Since bird flu spotted in Long'an County of Guangxi Zhuang
Autonomous Region, south China, was confirmed, the local industry
and commerce departments have made strict and careful inspections
to prevent the spread of the highly infectious diseases.
All poultry markets must be disinfected every day and poultry
produce on sale must hold the quarantine certificate of the local
industry and commerce departments with their sources reported.
In Yichang city of Central China's Hubei province, where
suspected cases of bird flu were reported, the city government has
started a comprehensive program to safeguard the city against the
disease.
By 6 pm Monday, all poultry within three kilometers of the
suspected bird flu-hit area had been killed, disinfected and buried
deeply underground. And the vaccination of poultry within five
kilometers of the infected area was completed on Tuesday
morning.
In fact, not only regions where confirmed and suspected bird flu
cases have been reported, but also nearby localities are on high
alert against the disease and many regions around the country also
are taking precautions against the animal-sourced disease.
In China's capital Beijing, strict measures have been taken by
the municipal government to tighten the control and inspection of
poultry raising, slaughter, processing, transport and trade, and to
prevent the import of the highly infectious bird flu from abroad
and the disease-hit areas.
The Beijing Center for Disease Control has strengthened the
inspection of human influenza as monitoring spots have been
established in 37 hospitals to examine samples from influenza-hit
patients. Once an unknown pathogen is discovered, it will be
reported to the state influenza monitoring center immediately.
A meeting on prevention of the highly infectious bird flu was
held on Monday by the local government of Qingdao, China's
well-known coastal city of eastern Shandong province.
According to Xia Geng, mayor of the city, the government will
establish a comprehensive system against the outbreak of the
infectious disease by tightening control of major country poultry
farms, closing poultry slaughterhouses without quarantine
certificates and disinfecting poultry.
So far, bird flu has been confirmed in Long'an County of Guangxi
Zhuang Autonomous Region, Wugang City of Hunan Province, and Wuxue
City of Hubei Province.
Areas reporting suspected cases include east China's Shanghai
municipality and Anhui Province, Chao'an county of south China's
Guangdong Province, Yongkang City in east China's Zhejiang
Province, Yichang City in Hubei Province, Chenggong County in
southwest China's Yunnan Province, Pingyu County in central China'
s Henan Province, and the No.12 Farming Division of Xinjiang
Production and Construction Corps in northwest China's Xinjiang
Uygur Autonomous Region, according to the Ministry of
Agriculture.
No human infection has been found in the affected
areas.?
(Xinhua News Agency February 3, 2004)