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Isolation ends in China's 1st bird flu-hit town Tang Bowen, magistrate of Long 'an County in south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, announced Sunday morning the ending of isolation imposed on the county's Dingdang Town, which had been stricken by the deadly H5N1 strain of avian flu late last month. It is the first bird flu-affected area in China relieved out ofisolation. The move was based on the official prescription on lifting isolation imposed on highly pathogenic avian flu-afflictedareas after thorough examinations from Chinese agricultural experts. Since the bird flu broke out on Jan. 23, governments at all levels took resolute control measures, paving way for the day to lift the isolation, said, Bi Qiang, a regional government officialin charge of bird flu control. It had been confirmed that ducks dying in a farm in Dingdang Town, Long'an County, were caused by the deadly H5N1 strain of bird flu virus. The local governments slaughtered 14,000 poultry within a three km radius of the duck farm, and vaccinated all poultry within five km of the duck farm. The area had been closed off in accordance with China's Law on Animal Epidemic Prevention. Epidemic isolation lifted on scientific judgments The lifting of isolation on Dingdang Town in south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region isbased on scientific judgments, a senior agricultural official said Sunday. "The move is strict, cautious and safe," said Jia Youling, spokesman for bird flu control with the Ministry of Agriculture. China has worked out strict measures for lifting the isolation imposed on highly pathogenic avian flu epidemic-stricken regions. Bird flu affected areas must meet all the requirements in various aspects before being relieved out of isolation, Jia said. For instance, all the poultry in the affected areas within a three-km radius must be killed. Compulsory vaccination of fowls must be conducted within a five-km radius. No fowls are allowed tobe shipped out of the affected regions. Dingdang Town was the first area in China which reported H5N1 bird flu. The central and local governments took cautious measuresand closed off the region. The Ministry of Agriculture sent a working team there to examine implementation of all control measures before the isolation was lifted. It usually takes at least 21 days from the outbreak of the epidemic to the lifting of isolation. It is based on the incubation period of a virus set by international organizations onanimal health. The experience drawing from the stamp-out of bird flu in Dingdang Town shows that so long as all the bird flu measures are implemented in a down-to-earth manner, the epidemic will not spread to other regions, Jia said. However, he stressed, isolation lifting is by no means everything is okay in the region. Some compulsory measures are still in effect. Former poultry farms are allowed to resume operation six months after the isolation lifting. Bird flu in China comes under gradual control The bird flu epidemic in China is expected to turn from high incidence to gradual control with the upcoming endings of isolation on some affected areas, an official with the Ministry of Agriculture said Sunday. The isolation imposed on Dingdang Town, Long'an County of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, which was the first in China confirmed with the outbreak of deadly H5N1 strain of avian flu on Jan. 27, was brought to an end Sunday morning. No new bird flu cases have been discovered for a succession of 21 days after all the poultry around Dingdang Town were culled. Four other areas afflicted with bird flu are being checked for ending the isolation, the China National Avian Influenza Prevention Headquarters confirmed on Sunday. An important criterion to judge the bird flu situation is comparing the number of regions walking out of isolation with the number of newly confirmed epidemic regions, said Jia Youling, spokesman for bird flu control with the Ministry of Agriculture. Though bird flu hit 16 Chinese provincial areas, the epidemic failed to be spread further and no bird flu hybrid to pass among people, he said. In the five days ending Feb. 21, no new cases of highly pathogenic avian flu have been reported in China. And more epidemic-afflicted regions are expected to end isolation in the days to come, the Agricultural Ministry official said. |
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