China intensifies human bird flu prevention (Xinhua) Updated: 2005-11-19 00:31
China has intensified its efforts to prevent possible outbreak of human
infection of bird flu following the first two human cases were confirmed in the
country Wednesday.
A health worker stands beside a sign which
reads:"Disinfection and quarantine area" in Zepu County, Northwest China's
Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region in this photo taken on November 13, 2005.
[Xinhua]
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The two confirmed cases involve a nine-year-old boy in Xiangtan County of
Hunan Province and a 24-year-old woman farmer in Zongyang County of Anhui
Province.
The boy has been discharged from hospital after recovery. The woman died on
Nov. 10, according to the Ministry of Health.
Meanwhile, the ministry reported the boy's 12-year-old sister, who had
similar symptoms as her brother and died on Oct. 17, as a suspected human case
of bird flu infection.
To prevent outbreak of bird flu infection among human beings, Anhui
Provincial Headquarters for Prevention and Control of Bird Flu has set up six
special teams to deal with emergent occurrence of human cases of bird flu and
worked out a series of measures against of the outbreak.
The measures include government and concerned department officials signing a
contract of responsibility, compulsory vaccination of poultry, and proper
handling of dead poultry and poultry died of unknown reasons.
The provincial health authorities have allocated 60 million of bird flu
vaccine, 10 tons of disinfectant liquid medicine, 2,000 sets of exposure suits
and a group of disinfectant instruments to concerned localities in preparation
of the outbreak.
Local governments of all levels and the general public are urged to report
timely whenever cases of poultry death occur. The provincial health authorities
urged local hospitals to open hotlines for consultation and appointed some
hospitals to specially treat humans infected with bird flu virus.
Xiangtan City of Hunan Province embarked a new round of prevention of human
infection of bird flu starting Thursday after China's first two human cases was
confirmed Wednesday.
In order to dispel panic among the public, local newspapers, TV and radio
stations are required to carry or broadcast cases of the nine-year-old boy and
his 12-year-old sister who is dead, how they were treated in hospital and
publicize knowledge on how to prevent human infection of bird flu.
Local medical institutions and hospitals are urged to get fully prepared in
terms of materials for medical use, personnel and technically, and all medical
workers are required to conduct investigation of factors related to the epidemic
on patients with body temperature higher than 38 degrees Centigrade and cough.
In Xiangtan County where deadly bird flu H5N1 cases among poultry and a
confirmed human case of bird flu were reported, medical observation will
continue on all people who were formerly monitored after the outbreak. The
nine-year-old boy and his family members will be under special monitoring. And
all people who participated in culling poultry will also be under medical
observation for a period of time in the future.
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