China's vice minister of health says on Friday the government
should improve rural sanitation to prevent the spread of infectious
diseases.
Wang Longde says the waste in less than a third of all toilets
in China's rural areas is properly treated, adding that the
situation is grim.
Many people have been infected after eating fish raised in water
contaminated by human excrement, he said.
"It is urgent for Chinese government to popularize hygienic
practices among rural residents," Wang said.
Wang says the Chinese government has helped peasants renovate
their toilets and build methane tanks.
"It's not a money problem so much as a lack of hygiene
knowledge," said the vice minister.
"This year alone, China has invested 2.5 billion yuan (about
US$325 million) building methane tanks," he said, adding the
government provides a subsidy of 1,000 yuan to each needy
family.
(China Daily April 8, 2007)