January 29, 2004

China Bans Slaughter Of Poultry In Beijing Markets

The Chinese authorities banned the slaughter of poultry in markets in a bid to contain the spread of bird flu.

Emergency steps imposed Wednesday in the Chinese capital also include a ban on selling uninspected meat and poultry products in markets, the official Xinhua News Agency said.

There have been no reports of the disease in the Chinese capital.

In the country's south, where China's first bird flu case was confirmed Tuesday in a dead duck in the Guangxi region, the number of birds slaughtered in an attempt to block the spread of the disease rose to 140,000, the newspaper China Daily said.

The disease has killed at least 10 people in as many countries in Asia. Tens of millions of chickens and ducks throughout the region have died of the disease or been slaughtered in emergency efforts to contain the virus.

Inspections of poultry arriving in the capital will be stepped up, Xinhua said, citing Liu Jian, vice director of the Beijing Municipal Industry and Commerce Bureau. The government threatened unspecified punishment for anyone who delayed reporting a suspected case.

Beijing, a city of 13 million people, has 139 poultry farms, 63 markets and 31 poultry slaughterhouses, according to Xinhua.

China confirmed its first bird flu case Tuesday in a poor, rural region that borders Vietnam. Birds from farms within three kilometers of the farm where the dead duck was found are being slaughtered, the government says.

The report said the infected duck was sent to a government laboratory for testing Jan. 23.

On Thursday, state media said the government banned chicken exports from the central provinces of Hunan and Hubei, both of which reported suspected bird flu cases.