Recently, the human cases of swine influenza were confirmed in countries including Mexico and the United States of America, and were now spreading widely in the world. The Party Central Committee and the State Council attach high importance to the issue and made a series of important instructions and arrangement. General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine (AQSIQ), carefully implementing the instructions of the Party Central Committee and the State Council, under the coordination of the Ministry of Health (MOH), performed our functions and responsibilities, launched contingency plan , set up the Leading Group of Preventing Swine Influenza and took a series of measures to actively combat the current pandemic situation and to prevent and control the epidemics including intensified the inspection and quarantine at the ports. Our major measures are the follows:

First, Rapid Response and Active Combat are performed.

Upon receiving notification by the World Health Organization (WHO) on April 25, AQSIQ attached great importance to the matter and immediately organized further study and promulgated on the same day the Urgent Notice on Preventing the Swine Influenza from Entering into China (Notice No. 30, 2009). The Notice requires: First, the people from the epidemic region, with any symptom of flu-like illnesses, shall voluntarily declare to the Entry-Exit Inspection and Quarantine Bureau (CIQ). For people who have been to the epidemic region in the previous two weeks, if he develops any flu-like symptom after entering into China, he shall contact the local CIQ in a timely manner. Second, people who are travelling to the epidemic region can consult the CIQ or its international travel health care center for information on the epidemic area. If he/she develops any influenza-like symptom during or after the travel, he/she shall immediately go to the doctor and declare to the CIQs upon entry. Third, the CIQs and their international travel health care centers shall educate the entry-exit personnel on the prevention and control of the swine influenza, and help them to increase the awareness of prevention. The inspection and quarantine agencies at ports shall intensify their work including the body temperature monitoring and medical inspection for travelers from the epidemic area, conduct careful examination for those who voluntarily declare problems and those who are found with symptoms of flu-like illness upon on-site inspection, took quarantine measures for the infected or the suspect including public health observation, isolation and sent them to the designated hospitals for medical treatment with the medical convenience cards. Meanwhile, the CIQs' staff is required to take necessary measures for self-protection. Fourth, we would notify to the public other precautionary measures in tackling the epidemics.

On April 26, AQSIQ, jointly with the Ministry of Agriculture (MOA) issued the Notice on Preventing Swine Influenza from Spreading from Mexico and the United States of America into China (Notice No. 31, 2009). The Notice requires: First, Suspend the direct and indirect importation of pig and pig products from Mexico and the epidemic area of the United States. Stop the issuance of Import Quarantine Permit for pig and pig products from Mexico and epidemic area of the US, and those Import Quarantine Permit that have been issued for the above-mentioned regions shall be revoked. Second, the shipments of pig and pig products that depart Mexico and the epidemic area of the US since the day when the Notice is issued shall be returned or destroyed. Those shipments that depart before the notice issuance shall be released only when tested negative for the virus strain of H1N1 of swine influenza. Third, prohibit the mailing and carrying of pig and pig products from Mexico and the United States. Any pig and pig products from the above-mentioned region detected upon entry shall be returned or destroyed. Fourth,in case any detected pig and pig products from Mexico or the United States must be sealed on any vessel, aircraft, train, or other transportation means stop in China or across China; pigs raised by the crew for themselves use must be kept in intact cages, the pigs' disposal and swill must be hazard-free treated under the surveillance of CIQs, and the unauthorized disposal is prohibited. The transportation means coming form affected countries must be conducted with quarantine disinfection measures. Fifth, the illegal pig and pig products coming from Mexico and the US detected by customs or frontier defense inspection authorities must by destroyed under the surveillance of CIQs.

At the same time of issuing the joint notice, AQSIQ noticed all CIQs of the arrangement for swine influenza control and prevention, the measures are as follows: First, at all frontier ports, the inspection and quarantine measures undertaken to all entry-exit travelers, especially from swine flu epidemic areas including body temperature monitoring, medical inspection, conveyance operator declaration, traveler voluntary declaration should be intensified. And the 24-hour duty is required for timely detection of suspected cases. Second, the ports have direct link of travel with Mexico is requested to lunch the special system, which requires travelers from Mexico (including flight crew and sailors) to submit ‘entry-exit health declaration form'. While, the boarding inspection and quarantine is required to all air flight from Mexico. Special passageway is set up for traveler from Mexico to get through inspection and quarantine, and any suspect case screened and detected must be timely treated. Third, strengthen the quarantine to entry transportation means, conduct disinfection and pest killing quarantine measures to the planes and vessels from US and Mexico, carry out the hazard-free treatment to the waste garbage with those air planes and vessels, and conduct disinfection hygiene treatment to the ballast water of the vessels.

Second, strengthen advocation to improve travelers' awareness and capacity of disease prevention.

In addition to the above measures, publicity is intensified by AQSIQ as follows: First, the inspection and quarantine measures undertaken after the epidemic outbreak will be publicized, so as to obtain the public understanding on that the purpose of those measures is protecting human health and life. Second, disease prevention and control knowledge will be extensively advocated. Through the media as well as setting special column on AQSIQ official website, the knowledge of how to prevent and control swine influenza is released. Third, the CIQs at ports and their international travel health care centers strengthen the routine quarantine advocation and education, print and distribute the public advocating materials on swine influenza, educate the entry-exit travelers with the knowledge of swine influenza control and prevention and port quarantine requirements, etc., so as to improve the entry-exit travelers' awareness of disease prevention and to obtain the travelers' support to inspection and quarantine work.

Third, further enhance entry-exit health inspection and quarantine measures based upon the epidemic situation development.

According to the development of epidemic situation abroad, AQSIQ further enhance the port inspection and quarantine measures as follows: first sending supervision group headed by vice ministers to take no-site review to key port. Second carrying out boarding quarantine to all airplanes coming from US after we taken the same measures to the airplanes from Mexico, learning the situation in the first time by boarding the airplanes, further enhancing the medical inspection and conducting more strict inspection and quarantine measures to the personnel and commodities coming from the worst-hit epidemic areas; third, requesting the travelers coming from US get through the airport special passageway after the special passageway has been set up for travelers from Mexico, while in case the passenger whose body temperature over 37.5 Celsius degree are detected, they will be timely and strictly screened and treated, and the disinfection to the special passageway will be regularly conducted; fourth, the thermal imaging body temperature monitoring system will be moved forward to the gate. The travelers from the US and Mexico are requested to get through this system in the special passageway immediately after they get off the plane. Those targeted travelers will get through the body temperature monitoring system once again when sharing the passageway with other passengers, while in case the passenger whose body temperature over 37.5 Celsius degree are detected, they will be timely and strictly screened and treated; fifth, strengthen the quarantine to entry-exit transportation means, conduct disinfection and pest killing quarantine measures to the planes and vessels from US and Mexico, carry out the hazard-free treatment to the waste garbage with those airplanes and vessels, and conduct disinfection hygiene treatment to the ballast water of the vessels; sixth, strengthen the control and prevention work in land boarder ports. Request the inspection and quarantine agencies in those land boarder ports pay close attention to the swine epidemic situation development of the surrounding countries, to strengthen joint control and prevention under the leadership of local government and to strictly prevent swine influenza from spreading into China from those land boarder ports.

AQSIQ and its CIQs at ports will pay close attention to the development of epidemic situation abroad. Under the leadership of the Party Central Committee and the State Council, with coordination of MOH, we will closely work together with other relevant government departments, calmly and soberly tackle, scientifically control and prevent, faithfully undertake the port inspection and quarantine work, and prevent the swine influenza from spreading into China.