China's quake-struck southwestern Sichuan Province has been on high alert for rodent diseases with large amounts of bait having been deployed and special personnel trained.

Thirty monitoring locations and a daily reporting system have been established in the quake-affected areas, the Sichuan Agricultural Department said.

The province has set up six working teams for the prevention and control of mice-transmitted diseases, 180 special monitoring staff and a prevention force of 3,000 local residents, it said.

More than 36,000 sprayers and 640 tonnes of bait or killing medicine have been allocated to the areas, the department added.

The province has been struggling to prevent epidemic outbreaks since the May 12 massive quake, which had left to 50,651 people dead in Sichuan alone as of 2 p.m. Thursday and 51,151 dead nationwide as of 10 a.m. Thursday.

(Xinhua News Agency May 23, 2008)