March 1, 2004

China Lifts Bird Flu Quarantine In Two More Areas

China's Ministry of Agriculture has lifted the quarantine on two more bird flu hit areas, declaring the areas to be free of the epidemic on Sunday.

The areas are Shilin County of southwest China's Yunnan Province, and Haifeng County, in south China's Guangdong Province.

According to the ministry, no new suspected or confirmed cases have been reported in these two areas for 21 days since the last infected flock was culled.

Experts in animal epidemics and officials concluded after inspections that the disease had been eradicated in the two places and the areas met the requirements for the lifting of isolation orders as stipulated in the Emergency Countermeasures Against Avian Influenza and the Technical Standards Regarding the Fight Against Avian Influenza.

The ministry urged local governments and animal epidemic prevention and control organizations to remain vigilant and continue supervision to prevent new cases.

The ministry said it had received no reports of new suspected or confirmed bird flu cases Sunday. There has been no reports of suspected bird flu cases anywhere on the Chinese mainland for 13 days in a row since Feb. 17 when the mainland lifted the quarantine on its first bird flu-affected area in southwest autonomous region of Guangxi.