Central Government Takes Further Steps to Control Avian Flu

January 1, 2006

The State Council issued the Emergency Response Regulations for Major Epidemics of Animal Diseases on November 16, in an attempt to ensure accurate reporting of avian flu outbreaks in poultry. Under the new regulation, provincial governments must report "major" animal epidemics to the State Council within four hours of discovering them, and county and city governments must report cases to provincial authorities within two hours. Officials found negligent in reporting outbreaks now face removal from office, and potential prosecution.

The State Council issued the Emergency Response Regulations for Major Epidemics of Animal Diseases on November 16, in an attempt to ensure accurate reporting of avian flu outbreaks in poultry. Under the new regulation, provincial governments must report "major" animal epidemics to the State Council within four hours of discovering them, and county and city governments must report cases to provincial authorities within two hours. Officials found negligent in reporting outbreaks now face removal from office, and potential prosecution.

One of the major challenges to central government efforts to control avian flu is accurate and timely reporting of outbreaks by local officials. Before the new State Council regulation was issued, Liaoning provincial officials arrested the head of veterinary services in Badaohao Township for attempting to cover up the illnesses of chickens at local farms following avian flu outbreaks. Provincial authorities also disciplined seven other officials, according to a November 19 article by the Toronto Globe and Mail (subscription required).

To control and prevent further avian flu outbreaks in domestic poultry, the Ministry of Agriculture announced a plan to vaccinate China’s entire poultry population, which totaled 5.2 billion birds in 2004, according to a November 15 International Herald Tribune report. One significant challenge facing the nationwide vaccination scheme is the sale of fake vaccines, as detailed in a November 26 Beijing News report. A November 21 article in the Standard also described official investigations that suggest that several rapid outbreaks of avian flu in Liaoning province resulted from the sale of fake vaccines by the subsidiary of a state-controlled company.

Agriculture Ministry officials widely employ culling of poultry to prevent the spread of avian flu. A November 12 China Daily report posted on the Xinhua Web site quoted Vice Minister of Agriculture Ying Chengjie as expressing concern over the economic loss suffered by poultry farmers following culling in provinces affected by avian flu outbreaks. Ying explained in a seminar in Beijing that the government has compensated farmers 10 yuan for each bird killed, but that “it cannot make up for the huge losses for farmers.” Poultry farmers in Liaoning province and the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region revealed in interviews that some farmers received less than the state-mandated compensation, according to reports by Radio Free Asia and the Los Angeles Times. Both reports raise questions about the efficacy of some local governments’ compensation schemes.

Chinese authorities have confirmed 30 avian flu outbreaks in poultry in 2005. They also have reported three cases of avian flu infection in humans, of which two were fatal.