China's Minister of Agriculture Du Qinglin Wednesday told two
United Nations organizations that the bird
flu situation in China is now under control, and China is fully
confident that it can do a good job of preventing the spread of the
highly contagious virus.
The minister explained the country's efforts to put the virus
under control to the representatives of the China offices of World
Health Organization (WHO) and Food and Agriculture Organization
(FAO) of the United Nations, and some diplomats stationed in
Beijing.
Du said the ministry is willing to improve its current mechanism
on reporting the situation to the UN organizations, and expand its
cooperation with them and other countries in the fight against the
disease.
The Chinese government attaches great importance to curbing the
bird flu, and, as always, gives top priority to the health and
safety of its people, the minister noted.
Chinese governments at both the central and local levels have
been mobilized in the fight against the disease, and no human
infection of the virus has been detected, Du said.
He gave a detailed briefing on the measures the ministry has
been taking in the battle against the virus, including the
monitoring of the epidemic situation across the country, the
slaughter of birds in areas with bird flu cases, and the production
of bird flu vaccines, and the efforts it has made to help and
supervise localities in the battle.
China has established a reporting mechanism to ensure that the
latest bird flu situation is reported promptly, and has been moving
swiftly to contain the epidemic, the minister said.
All domestic fowls within a three-km radius of affected site
have been slaughtered and rendered harmlessly, while compulsory
vaccination of such fowls within a five-km radius has been
launched, together with disinfection of those areas and other areas
under threat by the disease, he said.
The ministry has dispatched about 10 inspection groups to the
Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, and Hubei, Hunan, Anhui and
Guangdong provinces, where bird flu outbreaks have been reported,
to ensure that proper measures have and will be taken to contain
the outbreaks.
The minister said his ministry is willing to establish what he
describes as transparent and expeditious channels of communication
with the FAO and WHO, and improve the existing mechanism of
reporting its bird flu situation in written form.
He said that he welcomed exchanges of information and
cooperation with the two UN organizations, and other countries,
especially neighboring countries, in the course of China's fight
against the bird flu epidemic.
The FAO and WHO officials and some diplomats spoke highly of the
attitudes of the Chinese government and its counter measures
against bird flu, saying that they are willing to improve
cooperation with China in this field and offer assistance.
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(Xinhua News Agency February 5, 2004)
