Southwest China's border province of Yunnan has banned entry of
poultry and poultry products from neighboring Vietnam and Laos amid
efforts to prevent the spread of avian influenza, local authorities
said on Sunday.
The province has defined a 1,600-km long, 30-km wide border area
in which to focus measures against the disease, according to the
Provincial Department of Agriculture.
It has shut down 75 poultry markets in eight prefectures and
cities in the border area, the department said, and installed 98
temporary checkpoints at key roads leading to neighboring
countries.
The provincial departments of agriculture, health and forestry
have jointly established 346 monitoring stations for bird flu, 151
special clinics for human fever, and 24 monitoring sites for
migratory birds.
Enough doses of H5N1 bird flu vaccine for 10 million birds --
5,000 liters -- have been stockpiled in the province.
The provincial capital Kunming has also closed all bird markets,
as has Guiyang, capital of neighboring Guizhou Province.
Local authorities there said residents who raise birds have been
told to carry out precautionary measures such as regular
disinfection of cages, and required to get their birds vaccinated
at local health departments.
Beijing suspended poultry trading in all its 168 markets as of
November 7 and Shanghai shut down all bird markets from November
30.
China has reported 30 outbreaks of H5N1 bird flu among birds in
11 provinces and autonomous regions this year, 26 of which have
been confirmed since October 19.
Three human infections have been confirmed as having taken place
in the last two months, two of which were deadly, along with a
fourth likely but unverifiable case that was also fatal. All
involved are thought to have been infected from birds.
(Xinhua News Agency December 5, 2005)