As previously suspected bird flu cases in three provinces were confirmed and new suspected cases were reported in seven other Chinese regions, an increasing number of Chinese localities are taking measures to handle the deadly disease as well as to ensure a safe and sufficient supply of poultry on the market.

After a suspected bird flu outbreak was reported in east China's Shanghai municipality, the municipal government issued a notice on Sunday, banning the trade and slaughter of poultry at wholesale or farm produce markets.

The industry and commerce department has examined 721 farm produce markets and seized 97 kilograms of dead poultry since the issuing of the notice. And a total of 690 live poultry markets were closed on Monday.

Poultry slaughter will be made at spots authorized by the local government and some farm produce enterprises with good reputation will be authorized to purchase and sell poultry specially.

Since bird flu spotted in Long'an County of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, south China, was confirmed, the local industry and commerce departments have made strict and careful inspections to prevent the spread of the highly infectious diseases.

All poultry markets must be disinfected every day and poultry produce on sale must hold the quarantine certificate of the local industry and commerce departments with their sources reported.

In Yichang city of Central China's Hubei province, where suspected cases of bird flu were reported, the city government has started a comprehensive program to safeguard the city against the disease.

By 6 pm Monday, all poultry within three kilometers of the suspected bird flu-hit area had been killed, disinfected and buried deeply underground. And the vaccination of poultry within five kilometers of the infected area was completed on Tuesday morning.

In fact, not only regions where confirmed and suspected bird flu cases have been reported, but also nearby localities are on high alert against the disease and many regions around the country also are taking precautions against the animal-sourced disease.

In China's capital Beijing, strict measures have been taken by the municipal government to tighten the control and inspection of poultry raising, slaughter, processing, transport and trade, and to prevent the import of the highly infectious bird flu from abroad and the disease-hit areas.

The Beijing Center for Disease Control has strengthened the inspection of human influenza as monitoring spots have been established in 37 hospitals to examine samples from influenza-hit patients. Once an unknown pathogen is discovered, it will be reported to the state influenza monitoring center immediately.

A meeting on prevention of the highly infectious bird flu was held on Monday by the local government of Qingdao, China's well-known coastal city of eastern Shandong province.

According to Xia Geng, mayor of the city, the government will establish a comprehensive system against the outbreak of the infectious disease by tightening control of major country poultry farms, closing poultry slaughterhouses without quarantine certificates and disinfecting poultry.

So far, bird flu has been confirmed in Long'an County of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, Wugang City of Hunan Province, and Wuxue City of Hubei Province.

Areas reporting suspected cases include east China's Shanghai municipality and Anhui Province, Chao'an county of south China's Guangdong Province, Yongkang City in east China's Zhejiang Province, Yichang City in Hubei Province, Chenggong County in southwest China's Yunnan Province, Pingyu County in central China' s Henan Province, and the No.12 Farming Division of Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps in northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, according to the Ministry of Agriculture.

No human infection has been found in the affected areas. 

(Xinhua News Agency February 3, 2004)