The prevention of and fight against animal epidemic diseases
will continue to be a pressing task in the fall, the Minister of
Agriculture (MOA) Du Qinglin has warned.
Du said local governments must maintain a high alert against
possible epidemics such as bird flu, pig cholera and rabies.
In some countries and regions, the foot-and-mouth disease had
been "rather serious," Du said.
Within China, sick migratory birds, long-distance transport and
the trade in live poultry and the outdoor rearing in remote
mountain areas all posed challenges to disease prevention.
Du said human and animal cases of rabies and tuberculosis had
been rising in some regions, posing "a major threat" to public
health security.
He urged local veterinary departments to provide timely
vaccinations to poultry breeders, to monitor the results and
tighten control of the production, distribution and storage of
vaccines.
Village observers, university veterinary laboratories and
research institutes should earnestly fulfill their responsibilities
and make timely reports on local disease outbreaks.
Earlier this month, the Ministry of Health revised a regulation
requiring doctors and grass-root health organizations to report
outbreaks within two hours of discovery.
Breeding farms, markets and border areas should be the prime
targets of disease prevention. Once epidemic occurs beyond China's
borders, isolation zones must be established immediately.
Local governments must step up the training of prevention
skills, tighten the inspection of breeding farms and the transport
and distribution of livestock to defuse possible risks, he
said.
(Xinhua News Agency September 22, 2006)