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Official: Bird flu crisis "severe" in China
(AFP)
Updated: 2005-11-21 21:54
The bird flu crisis in China is "severe" and set to get
worse as winter deepens, the government said as it revealed there had been 21
outbreaks in the country.
A customer discusses chicken prices with a
vendor at a streetside stall on the outskirts of Anqing. The bird flu
crisis in China is 'severe' and set to get worse as winter deepens, the
government said as it revealed there had been 21 outbreaks.
[AFP] |
Officials made the grim assessment as they announced that
the State Council, had adopted tough emergency laws requiring local governments
and people to respond quickly to bird flu and other animal diseases.
The 21 outbreaks occurred in nine provinces in the Chinese mainland, affecting 45
villages and causing the deaths of 144,624 birds, while a further 21.1 million
have been culled, Vice Agriculture Minister Yin Chengjie said.
"Although some cases in affected areas have been controlled effectively, the
whole situation of avian flu control is still severe," Yin told reporters at a
briefing on Monday.
"The task ahead of us is still arduous."
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