Chinese Premier outlines measures to combat bird flu

cctv.com 01-30-2004 09:30

Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao has directed relevant authorities to implement eight major measures in an effort to prevent and control any further spread of the bird flu virus.

The eight measures were decided at an executive meeting of the State Council, presided over by Premier Wen Jiabao on Thursday. They are as follows:

-- People living in all bird flu affected areas, must be kept informed promptly and with accurate information. All infected poultry must be slaughtered and the affected areas sanitized.

-- Emergency plans to meet any occurrence of bird flu must be worked out as soon as possible. Epidemic prevention, control and monitoring measures must be stepped up, especially at poultry farms.

-- Compensation funds should be established to take care of affected farmers. Farmers whose poultry is culled must receive reasonable compensation.

-- Scientific research on the deadly virus should be intensified. Bird flu vaccine must be produced, and Chinese scientists should work internationally on virus research.

-- Quarantine procedures for all imported and exported poultry must be improved, and there will be a crack down on poultry smuggling.

-- Conscientious efforts must be made to educate people about bird flu, and how to contain the disease.

-- Resolute efforts must be made to prevent the deadly virus from spreading to human beings.

-- The infrastructure for poultry quarantine must be improved, and an emergency system established to handle major animal epidemics.

Bird flu hits central China

China has banned the export of birds and related products from bird flu-affected areas including Guangxi, Hunan and Hubei.

Chen Lianfu's chicken farm has fallen silent. Nearly 80 percent of the 30-year-old farmer's stock of 1,600 chickens died suddenly from the disease - the rest were slaughtered in case they too were infected. It wasn't long before his neighbors' poultry stocks were also affected. The Hubei Animal Disease Diagnosis Center says these birds have bird flu.

A chicken farmer said, "1,400 of my chickens became ill and died in 2 days. I immediately reported this to the local authorities. They took blood samples of my chickens and told me that my poultry may have caught bird flu."

In the aftermath, the local government slaughtered all 50,000 farm birds in the 11 villages within a 3-kilometer radius of Chen's farm. Poultry stocks within a five-kilometer radius of the farm were quarantined.

Checkpoints have been set up on all roads leading to the farm to ensure the disease isn't spread by cars or other forms of transport. Disinfectants have also been sprayed over the suspected areas. Hubei quarantine authorities are confident they have contained the outbreak.

Wu Shijun, official of Hubei Agriculture Bureau, said, "The situation has been basically brought under control and there is little chance of further spread right at the moment because the slaughtered fowl are actually healthy ones near the farm."

So far, there are no reports in the area of a person contracting the disease. But there is still the question of how the birds catch the flu. For Chen Lianfu, the value of his lost stock amounts to 5,000 US dollars. The government has pledged to compensate him by paying 15 yuan for every chicken killed and this money is expected to be paid in a week. The local government is still waiting for the final lab results to confirm whether or not the virus is the notorious H5N1 strain of Type A Flu.

Editor:Xiao  Source:CCTV.com