12 February 2004 09:34
China takes steps to prevent bird flu spread by migratory
Author: birds As the weather gets warmer and migratory birds have begun flying northward, central government
ministries and administrations as well as localities across China are taking measures to curb possible spread of bird
flu by migratory birds. The national capital Beijing issued an emergency notice on February 10 requiring authorities of
concerned departments and administrations to take necessary measures. Prevention of bird flu must be preconditioned by
natural protection, the notice stresses. Statistics from the municipal forestry bureau show that Beijing hosts more than
350 species of birds, 80 percent of which are migratory birds, inhabiting mainly open water areas such as lakes in parks
and mountainous areas in the suburbs. Around 30,000 migratory birds stop over at Beijing from March to May each year.
Migratory birds are suspected by many experts to be bird flu virus carriers. Zhou Fang, a professor with the
ornithological branch of the Zoological Society of China, said he found that the distribution and time of occurrence of
bird flu cases in some Asian countries tallied with the migratory routes and time of Asian migratory birds. This shows
that migratory birds are likely to have "spread" the bird flu virus, Zhou said. "It's common sense
that birds spread virus through its excrement." He called on efforts to enhance research on species, number,
habitats and migration rules of migratory birds, so as to prevent the spread of disease by the birds. Shi Guisheng,
deputy head of the Beijing forestry bureau, said Beijing has suspended birds dealings on markets and the imports of
birds from other places of China and foreign countries. Bird-watching activities are banned in zoos and efforts have
been intensified to crack down on activities involving poaching and sales of wild birds, Shi said. Beijing has set up 12
stations to monitor the movement and health conditions of wild birds at Miyun and Guangting reservoirs, the Summer
Palace, Yuan Ming Yuan and some other major habitats of birds in the city. A task force has been set up to monitor and
research migratory birds. The Chinese Ministry of Agriculture issued an emergency notice on February 9 requiring
authorities concerned to monitor the habits and habitats of migratory birds to prevent the spread of bird flu. The
notice says a more thorough mechanism of monitoring and examination must be established and more detailed information
about migratory birds, including breeds, habitat and habits must be gathered. It asks medical staff to disinfect the
habitats of the migratory birds, collect their excrement and sanitize it. Poultry raisers are reminded to segregate
flocks from wild birds and government departments to promote publicity campaigns in rural areas. Managers of zoos and
wild animal breeding farms that have wide open water surfaces should stay vigilant to prevent the entry of migrant
birds, the notice says. Previously, the State Forestry Administration called on efforts to prevent the spread of bird
flu by migratory birds to the country's endangered bird species, ordering the country's endangered wildlife
rescue and breeding centers to disinfect living and breeding pens, properly dispose of waste and improve safety
inspections of bird food. Exhibitions of birds, including the red ibis and cranes, are suspended and visitors are
prohibited from entering the centers, under a decision by the administration. The red ibis relocated to areas far from
residential areas for breeding should live in quarantine, and activities of red ibis in the wild should be monitored.
The population of red ibis has increased to over 500 in November 2002 from only seven in the early 1980s. Meanwhile,
localities across China have intensified efforts to test bird flu virus on migratory birds. Zoologists with lab based in
Kunming, capital of southwest China's Yunnan Province, announced on February 9 that they found no bird flu virus in
any of the 60 black-headed gulls caught randomly when hovering above the city. Black-headed gulls, known in China as
red-beaked gulls, migrate from Siberia to Kunming, dubbed a "city of eternal spring," each winter and have
received warm welcome among locals and tourists alike. In Beijing, forestry authorities have begun soliciting opinions
among locals on how to prevent bird flu spread by migratory birds and well protect them. Ornithologists in Shanghai are
making sample survey of migratory birds which stop over on nearby islands in a bid to determine whether the birds carry
the flu virus. Bird observation activities are also banned on these islands. A city-wide examination is underway in
birds breeding farms and pigeons at the downtown People's Square have been vaccinated.
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