China has taken emergency measures to prevent the brain fever epidemic that recently broke out in six African countries as well as foot-and-mouth disease (FMD), which has just emerged in Uruguay, from spreading to China.

The State General Administration for Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine on Wednesday issued a press release saying that travelers coming to China from the six affected countries must receive emergency medical treatment if symptoms of the disease appear.

According to a World Health Organization report released in April, brain fever epidemics have broken out in Ethiopia, Benin, Burkina Faso, Niger, Chad and the Central Africa Republic.

The administration suggested people who are planning to travel to these countries take vaccinations or preventative medicines before they go.

In China, immunization against brain fever has become one of the essential immunizations given to all the children, ensuring that there have been no outbreaks in China, an official of the Ministry of Health said.

Meanwhile, the Ministry of Agriculture has banned imports of cloven-hoofed animals such as pigs, cattle and sheep, and their products from Uruguay. Such animals and products that have already entered China's ports must be returned or destroyed.

Postal services and tourists are also forbidden to carry any cloven-hoofed animals and their products from Uruguay to China. If caught, postal carriers and tourists will be asked to return or destroy the products.

If cloven-hoofed animals and/or their products from Uruguay are found on any international boats, ships, planes or trains that pass by China or stop in China, they will be sealed up until they pass quarantine, said the release.

Such animals and products smuggled from Uruguay to China will be destroyed quickly under the supervision of exit-entry inspection and quarantine branches of the administration.

The administration has called for the country's veterinarians and animal quarantine workers to enhance inspection work on imported animals and their products.

(China Daily 05/11/2001)