Beijing has entered a high season for influenza and epidemic
cerebrospinal meningitis, the Beijing News reported
Tuesday, citing local health authorities.
Spring itself is a season with a?high incidence of
influenza, epidemic cerebrospinal meningitis, and other respiratory
diseases, the paper said.
In addition, it said, the risk of epidemics increased along with
a huge flow of population into Beijing that was spurred by migrant
workers and students after the Spring Festival, or Chinese Lunar
New Year that fell on January 29.
Before the Spring Festival, Beijing generally reported 1,300
cases of infectious diseases a week; during the week-long vacation
of the Spring Festival between January 19 and February 4, the
number dropped to 600; and it rebounded to 1,200 after the
vacation, statistics with the Beijing Municipal Disease Control
Center show.
To prevent the outbreak of such epidemics, the Beijing Municipal
Health Bureau will strengthen monitoring of the population working
in areas with high risks of bird flu, especially in the trades of
slaughtering, processing, transporting of poultry and stocks, and
the profession of protecting forests.
Meanwhile, the health authorities have ordered, starting this
week, a daily check on students and workers at schools and
construction sites, focusing on respiratory diseases, like fever,
sore throat, and cough.??
(Xinhua News Agency March 1, 2006)
