December 15, 2005

 

China warns of possible bird flu outbreaks

 

 

China should prepare for bird flu outbreaks this winter and spring, even though it has gone 15 days without new cases, the country's chief veterinary official said Wednesday.

 

The upcoming Chinese New Year Holiday at the end of January will pose a special challenge, as millions of people travel to see relatives, said Jia Youling, director of the Agriculture Ministry's veterinary bureau.

 

"There is still the possibility of sporadic outbreaks this winter and next spring and we are still facing great challenges in controlling bird flu," Jia said at a news conference.

 

China has reported 25 bird flu outbreaks since Oct 19, with two human fatalities. The government says 151,200 birds have died and another 22 million were destroyed to stop the spread of outbreaks.

 

China faces a difficult situation since 60 percent of its poultry are raised on small family farms that let chicken and ducks roam freely and mix with other birds, Jia said.

 

Chicken consumption would surge during the New Year holiday, when Chinese traditionally visit their hometowns, he said.

 

Jia said the government plans to step up vaccinations and monitoring during this period.

 

So far this year, 6.85 billion domestic Chinese birds have been vaccinated against bird flu, Jia said. He said 5 billion were done since October.

 

New vaccines that can be administered through water or feed have made the process of vaccinating the birds easier and faster, Jia said.

 

China has about 5.2 billion chickens, geese and ducks at any one time but produced a total of 14 billion poultry last year.