February 21, 2006

 

China warns of possible bird flu outbreak in spring

 

 

China should brace for a likely large-scale bird-flu outbreak in spring, Agriculture Minister Du Qinglin said at a working conference Monday.

 

Migratory birds, the prime suspects for transmission of bird flu, will be returning in spring and is likely to pose a threat to vast areas in northern China, Du said.

 

In addition, most of the country's poultry will no longer be immune to the H5N1 virus in spring, as the effectiveness of the vaccine is waning since the birds were inoculated in autumn last year. Also, poultry farms usually restock after the Chinese Lunar New Year holidays, and the transportation of young poultry around the country increases the possibility of infection.

 

Meanwhile, the General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine Tuesday issued a notification to prohibit direct or indirect imports of birds and bird products from 10 countries.

 

However, products from these countries that have been processed for more than one minute at 70 deg C or higher will be allowed into the country if they are found to be virus-free.

 

The 10 countries are Kuwait, Cyprus, Italy, Slovenia, Azerbaijan, Germany, Austria, Iran, France and Egypt.

 

The administration also called for a more stringent health declaration process for visitors from the above countries.

 

China has reported 12 human cases of bird flu on its mainland since October, including eight fatalities.

 

33 outbreaks in poultry have been reported throughout the country and millions of birds have been culled.