Chinese Vice Premier Li Keqiang on Monday urged a "scientific and transparent" prevention and control of influenza A/H1N1 in the country.

"The most important work at present was to strictly check on border entry" as the killer disease has been mainly reported overseas, Li gave the direction during a visit to the health ministry.

Li listened to experts' views on the epidemic and inspected the operation of a joint prevention and control mechanism China has set up following the epidemic's outbreak in other parts of the world.

He said that in face of the worsening global epidemic situation, China could not rule out the possibility of the virus' spreading into its border although no confirmed case had been reported yet on its mainland.

"We must be fully prepared and strive for the best outcome through orderly and effective work," he said, calling for proactive, scientific and comprehensive preventive measures against the disease.

As the outbreak has been mainly reported overseas, Li said the most important work at present was to strictly check on border entry, step up technical equipment and material storage, arrange designated hospitals and be well prepared for emergencies.

He stressed the role of science in combating the disease, urging "beefed-up scientific research, analysis and decision-making" and strengthened cooperation with the World Health Organization and foreign countries.

Information transparency was of key importance to the scientific epidemic prevention and control, he said, calling for further improvement in information publicity.

"Infections within our border must be immediately publicized, and the prevention and control work must be transparent," he said.

He also called for the promotion of a scientific understanding of the disease to ward off public panic, and urged mass involvement in the prevention and control.

In another development, the health ministry said Monday China had listed A/H1N1 under the category of infectious diseases that warranted quarantine, and would quarantine people and material crossing China's borders that were suspected of transmitting the virus.

(Xinhua News Agency May 5, 2009)