January 21, 2004

China To Monitor Bird Flu Situation

China has set up a daily reporting system for bird flu, in an effort to combat a disease that has already killed five people in neighboring Vietnam, the government said Tuesday.

An emergency notice issued Monday by the Ministry of Agriculture requires "veterinary and quarantine units at the grassroots level" to report every day to higher departments, the official Xinhua News Agency said.

So far, there have been no cases of bird flu reported in China, which has banned chicken imports from flu-hit Vietnam, Japan and South Korea.

If the disease is found, all poultry within 3 kilometers of the site will have to be slaughtered, and all poultry within 5 kilometers will have to be vaccinated immediately, according to the notice, the ministry's second emergency directive since the outbreak first came to light in South Korea last month.

The notice also asked local governments to set up emergency teams and stock materials for emergency use.

Additionally, a round-the-clock monitoring system will be set up for the upcoming seven-day Spring Festival, which begins Thursday. No other details were given.

"Everything should be taken care of to ensure immediate and effective actions are taken to eradicate the virus if cases of bird flu are found," the notice said.

Millions of chickens have been infected across Asia, and mass slaughters have been ordered by governments to contain the disease's spread.

So far, Vietnam is the only country with confirmed cases in people. Health officials believe patients contracted the disease through contact with the sick birds, but have not confirmed that.

There also has been no evidence of person-to-person transmission.