Sichuan Disaster Relief Command Center, along with Xiao Donglou, Deputy Director of the Disease Control Center of the Chinese Ministry of Health, held an emergency meeting at 2pm on May 14th. Because decomposing bodies of dead victims could pose a health threat if left untreated, a policy to manage the dead was drafted in this meeting. "The first thing we have to do is to define the locations where the deceased are being grouped in each disaster area," said Xiao Donglou.

Processing of victims supervised by staff

100 emergency disaster prevention staff from the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, and from the staff of other Province Branch Offices, have been reassigned to Sichuan. They were allocated to each disaster area yesterday, along with another 140 personnel who arrived on May 15th to manage dead victims in co-ordination with relief teams.

To prevent the spread of bacteria and viruses, as far as possible human remains will not be moved around or collected centrally. Where possible local cremation will be implemented, with local burial as the alternative. All activities is to be supervised by Disaster Prevention Staff. Bodies should be treated before disposal, and disinfection and environmental protection measures should be followed.

Wang Guoqiang, Vice-Minister of Chinese Ministry of Health, indicated that the principal problem is potential water and air pollution caused by decomposing bodies. Bacteria and viruses could spread among groups of people as the temperature rises.

Regulations in process

Processes following 1976's Tangshan earthquake will be used as guidelines in Sichuan. Policy will additionally be influenced by Guangdong regulations on the disposal of corpses.

The Sichuan Ministry of Health indicated they have sent 9 disease prevention teams to Chengdu, Mianyang, Deyang, Guangyuan and Wenchuan respectively to launch disinfection campaigns. Further aid will be provided by 24 Emergency Disease Prevention Teams who have been sent to quake-hit areas by the Chinese Ministry of Health.

Water pollution risks

Access to 18 towns is still blocked, delaying the implementation of timely disaster prevention measures.

As of May 16th many human remains are still gathered in open areas of Beichuan County, and beginning to decompose. Li Liulin, Deputy Director of Mianyang Disease Control Center, considered that Beichuan country needs 100 tonnes of medical supplies. "We are very short-staffed to deal with so many victims," he said.

He explained that 36 mobile tank-sprayers are in operation on a daily basis, carrying out disinfection work. Corpses were being treated with concentrated chlorine if they could not be removed.

The Disease Prevention Teams' first priority is environmental disinfection, followed by the disposal of bodies. The Teams own living quarters are disinfected every hour or half-hour.

As Beichuan is located on the upper reaches of Jian River, its waters have already suffered some pollution from decomposing bodies. Due to the hot weather, outbreaks of diseases such as encephalitis, malaria and cholera pose a threat, said Li Liulin.

Out with Kaiqu and Leigu village, there is no access to 18 towns in Beichuan, and disease prevention measures cannot be launched in these places.

Li Liulin also has further anxieties: "Beichuan has only five tonnes of disinfectant where there is a need for 100 tonnes; we have only a few hundred kilos of pesticides while we need more than 10 tonnes."

The Sichuan government has ordered every Sichuan department to observe all guidelines with the greatest of stringency. Any failure will be called to account.

The first batch of medical supplies has arrived in Longnan city from Lanzhou city, Gansu Province. Water disinfection is of vital importance.

Respiratory infectious disease, acute hemorrhagic conjunctivitis and encephalitis all pose a serious threat. Victims in disaster areas must be on their guard against all health risks.

(China.org.cn by Wu Huanshu May 17, 2008)