China's Health Ministry issued an urgent circular Wednesday, requesting local health authorities to start daily inspections of markets to prevent people from getting infected with the bird flu virus.

The inspections will focus on the live poultry or poultry meat sold at the markets, the separation of stalls selling live animals from other food or products, and the sanitation and disinfection of the markets.

Local health authorities should send well-trained staff to the key trade markets every day and check whether the live poultry as well as fresh and frozen poultry meat sold at the market have passed quarantine, the ministry said.

The traders who failed to meet relevant health regulations would bear administrative or legal consequences, the ministry said.

The ministry has also requested local health authorities to setup hotlines for the public and deal immediately with the complaints about suspected illegal production and selling of poultry meats.

(Xinhua News Agency February 4, 2004)