China Saturday reported two new suspected bird flu
cases in central China's Hubei Province and south China's Guangdong Province,
said sources with the Ministry of Agriculture.
The ministry received reports Saturday, saying two suspected bird flu cases
have occurred in Ezhou City of Hubei and Chao'an County of Guangdong, following
three confirmed cases and three suspected outbreaks on the Chinese mainland.
The local governments forced sweeping slaughter and quarantine measures
immediately and sent in related samples to the Harbin-based National Bird Flu
Reference Laboratory. The epidemic has been brought under control, said sources
with the ministry. No human infections have been found in the two regions.
The ministry has dispatched supervision teams to help the local governments
fight against the bird flu epidemic.
The two outbreaks have been reported to the Food and Agriculture Organization
of the United Nations and the World Health Organization. Hong Kong and Macao
have also been informed of the new epidemic.
The State Administration for Industry and Commerce on Saturday issued a
notice, urging the closing of poultry markets and the banning of poultry trade
in the bird flu-affected area in south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region
where the country's first bird flu case was spotted.
The notice requires its subordinate body in Guangxi region to strictly crack
down on illegal poultry trade in the bird flu-hit areas and intensify the market
patrol at the juncture areas between virus-hit areas and virus-unaffected areas
in an effort toprevent and control the bird flu virus from spreading.
The notice also urged the closing of poultry markets whose sanitation
conditions are poor in bird flu-unaffected areas.
If any suspected bird flu cases were spotted in markets, they must be
reported to local governments and the State Administrationfor Industry and
Commerce, said the notice.
National Bird Flu Prevention Headquarters Founded
The State Council on Friday decided to establish the National Bird Flu
Prevention Headquarters in an effort to intensify the prevention and control
work on bird flu.
Vice-Premier Hui Liangyu was appointed director-general of the headquarters,
and State Councilor Hua Jianmin was appointed deputy director-general.
The headquarters consists of the State Development and Reform Commission,
Ministry of Finance, Ministry of Health, Ministry of Agriculture, State
Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine, State
Administration for Industry and Commerce, Ministry of Science and Technology,
Ministry of Commerce and General Administration of Customs.
The headquarters office was located in the Ministry of
Agriculture.
