(AFP/China Daily)
Updated: 2005-11-21 06:30

Monitoring increases

Agriculture and health ministries are introducing further measures to keep a lid on bird flu.

Adding to the 198 surveillance stations already monitoring human bird flu infections, mostly located in big cities, more stations are to be established in rural areas, Chen Xianyi, director of the Office of Health Emergency with the Ministry of Health, told China Daily over the weekend.

Unlike SARS which mainly affected urbanites, human bird flu infections have so far all been in rural areas where sanitation conditions are worse.

Chen said that for quicker identification of human cases, co-ordination between different departments is vital.

The ministries of health, agriculture, science and technology, as well as other government departments, should all receive epidemic information and take action at the same time.

If an outbreak among chickens is reported to the ministry of agriculture, the information will also immediately be passed to public health authorities. Health experts can then tackle any threat to humans, Chen said.

All China's hospitals, with a particular emphasis on those in areas where bird flu has been found in poultry, are required to report any suspected human cases of the disease.

The Ministry of Agriculture has ordered the setting up of bird flu prevention and control offices at markets selling farm produce, especially poultry products.

People who have had close contact with infected poultry and then show high fever or other symptoms of flu or pneumonia have to be put under medical observation for a week, Chen said.

According to the World Health Organization standard, laboratory test results are the most important basis for confirming human cases of the disease, Chen added.

Yesterday, during the Shanghai Healthy City International Forum, Minister of Health Gao Qiang said China's bird flu epidemic is currently controllable, adding that China has basically brought the disease under control.

He further explained that the epidemic will end soon though the spread still occurred in some provinces. "The spread of the bird flu virus is caused mainly by migratory birds and their migration is almost complete," Gao said.

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