Agricultural officials have immunized 6 billion farm birds against bird flu and 850 million head of livestock against other diseases in the first six months, Agriculture Minister Du Qinglin said yesterday.

 

He told a national agriculture conference that epidemic supervision of poultry flocks and livestock had been strengthened, with 90 percent immunized in the first half year.

 

Du said the six cases of bird flu outbreak in five provinces and regions in the first half had been controlled effectively, and outbreaks of other animal diseases had been reduced.

 

A nationwide epidemic supervision network has been established, with 645,000 monitors covering more than 49,000 poultry farms, 80,000 households, 900 piggeries and 2,000 poultry markets.

 

Du urged the local government to extend immunization to all poultry and livestock in the coming autumn, to better control the outbreaks of bird flu and other diseases such as foot and mouth disease in the second half year.

 

(Xinhua News Agency July 8, 2006)