February 4, 2004

China Refutes Allegation of Human Bird Flu Infection

China has no cases of human infection of bird flu, a spokesman with Ministry of Health (MOH) said, refuting a report in Britain's Times on Tuesday.

The report in Britain's Times on February 3 was groundless and irresponsible; Xinhua News Agency quoted the spokesman as saying. 

"There is no single person infected by the bird flu on the Chinese mainland so far," he said.

The spokesman said the MOH has strengthened the surveillance of human-to-human transmission of the bird flu after the first case of the disease was reported in South China's Guangxi Province.

Moreover, the ministry also started a technical program for inter-human transmission surveillance and lab testing for medical workers nationwide, he said.

MOH has formulated an urgent action plan to curb inter-human transmission, a plan to carry out epidemiological investigation, and a guideline to prevent transmission for people with close contact with sick poultry, he added.

So far, 588 people have been taken under medical examination and observance for in close contact with sick poultry. None of them was found to have the disease, he said.