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China says bird flu situation alarming

BEIJING: Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao has called on the nation to intensify efforts to fight bird flu as the country is facing a ``very serious situation'' in controlling the epidemic.

Bird flu has not been totally controlled in China and the danger of its spread still exists in some areas, the Premier said during an inspection tour of the bird flu-hit Heishan county in northeast China's Liaoning province.

He urged the local Governments to pay great attention to the epidemic and focus on the prevention of the disease from jumping to humans, a task he said is ``arduous.'' China is the largest producer of poultry. Local Governments should fully realise the great danger of the epidemic, Mr. Wen stressed, adding that Governments at all levels should carry out prevention and control measures and must not slack off in the prevention work.

Provinces with large poultry numbers and areas close to the bird flu-hit regions should make emergency plans and set up sound emergency systems and store up materials and equipment needed, he said.

China has reported four cases of H5N1 bird flu outbreak since the coming of autumn.

The situation in 58 villages of 18 towns in Heishan county is very serious.

Global meet sets steps

In Geneva, a global three-day meeting identified key components of an action plan to control bird flu and simultaneously limit the threat of a human influenza pandemic.

More than 600 delegates from over 100 countries agreed that there was an urgent need for financial and other resources for countries which have already been affected, as well as for those which are most at risk.

``The world recognises that this is a major public health challenge,'' Lee Jong-wook, Director-General of the World Health Organisation (WHO), said in his concluding remarks.

The meeting was co-organised by the WHO, the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) and the World Bank. — Xinhua

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