The department of health of South China's Guangdong Province issued an emergency plan Thursday for prevention of human infection from bird flu, making provisions for the emergency handling of suspected human infection.

 

According to the plan, the first suspected human case of avian influenza should be examined and identified by medical experts appointed by the province first and the final confirmation should be made by experts organized by the Ministry of Health.

 

The plan calls for joint efforts by medical and agricultural departments to intensify monitoring of human flu cases and avian influenza in animals. Priority targets for the monitoring include workers on poultry farms and medical workers in hospitals. Different epidemic controlling measures are designed in the plan.

 

Guangdong's first suspected case of bird flu in animals was reported on Jan. 30 and by Feb. 5 four suspected cases in the province have been reported with one case in Chaoan County confirmed.

 

Up to now, the virus attacked a total of about 5,000 poultry birds in Guangdong.

 

All the four outbreaks reported involve farm-raised poultry. No cases in large poultry raising enterprises in Guangdong have been reported because of sound prevention measures they have taken.

 

After the highly pathogenic bird flu was reported, a series of forceful measures have been taken by the local government. By Thursday, 92,868 head of poultry around the infected areas have been culled in Guangdong and 67,452 compulsorily vaccinated.

 

By Friday, no human infected cases of bird flu were reported in Guangdong province, said Chen Liuxiang, deputy director of the provincial health department at a press conference Friday.

 

As one of the most important regions for poultry raising, consuming and exporting, the annual raising poultry amount of Guangdong is 1.3 billion and 1 billion will be produced every year.

 

(Xinhua News Agency February 7, 2004)