Virus 'has potential to spread faster'

By Shan Juan (China Daily)
Updated: 2009-06-13 08:39

The risk of A(H1N1) influenza spreading at the community level is rising as more local cases have been detected, the Ministry of Health (MOH) warned on Friday.

Tourists wear protective facemasks while waiting at the international airport in Hong Kong on Friday. [Agencies]

The warning came one day after the World Health Organization (WHO) raised the worldwide flu alert to its highest level.

The mainand has entered the third phase of the pandemic, which is symbolized by an increasing number of domestic cases. Some can be tracked to the infection source, and some cannot, said MOH spokesman Mao Qun'an at a press conference.

Up to Friday night, the mainland had reported 142 confirmed cases, of which roughly 10 percent were cases of domestic transmission. "Most are clearly linked to travels from affected areas," said Mao. But he declined to identify the specific local cases with unknown sources.

"A great majority of the confirmed cases have been detected in areas with frequent and intensive foreign communications like Beijing and Shanghai, and Guangdong and Fujian provinces," Mao said.

To date, the Chinese mainland has not reported any community outbreaks but it is edging closer due to more domestic transmissions, he noted.

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Containing further secondary infections across the nation, particularly in schools, is at the top of the MOH agenda, Mao noted.

The MOH has already devised an emergency response plan to deal with any outbreak in communities. The plan includes the closure of schools where clusters of infections are detected.

Mao emphasized the importance of constantly and strictly following the border checks and quarantine measures to block the virus.

"We treat everyone - Chinese and foreigners - as equals in that regard and thank everyone for understanding," he said.

WHO China representative Hans Troedsson said at the press conference: "We are asking countries to adapt existing national pandemic plans to the current and specific situation," now under the highest alert.

"Caring for the patients instead of containing the disease should be the new focus internationally," he said.

Troedsson praised China's aggressive steps to contain the flu, saying its efforts marked a massive improvement over its slow response to the SARS outbreak in 2003.

The Chinese government is intensively training medical workers nationwide in early detection, reporting and intervention in a bid to avoid any deaths in the country. The flu has killed more than 100 in the rest of the world, Mao said.

To date, 60 out of the mainland's flu patients have recovered and left hospitals.

"We are also expanding the number of sentinel epidemiology labs and hospitals nationwide, which will cover all the cities and major counties," Mao said.

Government agencies, including the State Food and Drug Administration, the Ministry of Finance and the MOH, are gearing up to develop and proudce vaccines, Mao said.

Minister of Health Chen Zhu has said that medical workers handling the flu patients would be the first to be vaccinated in early October.