• E-mail
• Print
• Comment
• Font Size
• Digg
• del.icio.us
• Discuss article

Chinese Vice-Premier Outlines Steps to Implement Epidemic Contingency Rules

Posted on: Tuesday, 22 November 2005, 21:00 CST

Text of report entitled: "Hui Liangyu, speaking at State Council forum to study and implement Emergency Response Regulations for Major Epidemics of Animal Diseases, emphasizes need to earnestly study, widely publicize, and comprehensively implement regulations and step up efforts to prevent and control highly pathogenic avian influenza in accordance with law", carried by official Chinese news agency Xinhua (New China News Agency)

Beijing, 22 November: On the afternoon of 22 November, the State Council held a forum to study and implement the Emergency Response Regulations for Major Epidemics of Animal Diseases. At the forum, Hui Liangyu, member of the CCP [Chinese Communist Party] Central Committee Political Bureau, vice-premier of the State Council, and head of the National Headquarters for Preventing and Controlling Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza [HPAI], stressed: The State Council's timely formulation and promulgation of the "Regulations" during a critical period of our country's efforts to prevent and control HPAI has introduced an additional magic weapon to conquer HPAI. This signifies a new stage in regularizing and systematizing our country's efforts to prevent and control major epidemics of animal diseases; it is an important step to prevent and control HPAI and other major epidemics of animal diseases in accordance with the law, an important guarantee for promoting the poultry industry's sound development and continued income growth for farmers, and an important measure for protecting the masses' health and safety and for promoting economic and social development. We must earnestly study, widely publicize, and comprehensively implement the "Regulations" and step up efforts to prevent and control HPAI and other major epidemics of animal diseases in accordance with the law.

Hua Jianmin, state councillor, secretary-general of the State Council, and deputy head of the National Headquarters for Preventing and Controlling HPAI, chaired the forum. Responsible comrades from some member units of the National Headquarters for Preventing and Controlling HPAI and relevant departments as well as specialists in related fields attended the forum.

Hui Liangyu pointed out: All localities and departments must fully recognize the importance and urgency of stepping up efforts to prevent and control major epidemics of animal diseases, fully recognize the great significance of the promulgation and implementation of the "Regulations", and conscientiously study, publicize, and implement the "Regulations", regarding work in this respect as a matter of great consequence, an important area of work in safeguarding the poultry industry's sound development and protecting public health and safety, and an important task in promoting administration by law and building a government under the rule of law.

Hui Liangyu stressed: The "Regulations" are important administrative rules for guiding and regulating our country's efforts to respond to, prevent, and control major epidemics of animal diseases. Governments at all levels and relevant departments must comprehensively implement the provisions of the "Regulations" and conscientiously prevent and control major epidemics of animal diseases. First, they must move expeditiously to perfect emergency preparedness plans for major epidemics of animal diseases, making them more target-oriented, practical, and feasible. They must give priority to building emergency response capabilities and rapid response mechanisms to ensure quick action, rapid reaction, and smooth operations in case of the outbreak of an epidemic. Second, they must establish a sound command system for dealing with major epidemics of animal diseases featuring the exercise of unified government leadership, the division of responsibility among departments, the establishment of responsibility systems at all levels, and the earnest fulfilment of the duties specified in the "Regulations". Third, they must strictly implement a system for reporting major epidemics of animal diseases to ensure that epidemics are reported in a timely, accurate, and serious manner. They must strictly investigate the legal liability of relevant responsible people in the case of cover-ups, misrepresentations, and delayed reporting of major epidemics of animal diseases. Fourth, they must step up efforts to build a system for preventing and controlling major epidemics of animal diseases, implement the "Regulations" in close coordination with the implementation of Several Opinions of the State Council on Advancing Veterinary Management Structural Reform, accelerate veterinary management structural reform, and stabilize epidemic prevention forces and bolstering epidemic prevention means in the course of reforming township and town institutions on an experimental basis in order to ensure smooth progress in preventing and controlling major epidemics of animal diseases. Fifth, they must make organizational preparations and stockpile materials in preparation for responding to emergencies in major epidemics of animal diseases and set up emergency reserve forces composed of management personnel, epidemic prevention personnel, relevant specialists, and practising veterinarians to specifically undertake the tasks of controlling and stamping out epidemics. At the same time, they must ensure the supply of materials needed for emergency response such as vaccines, medicines, diagnostic reagents, facilities, equipment, and protective gear. Sixth, they must increase investments in funding and infrastructure for the prevention and control of major epidemics of animal diseases, initiate plans for building an animal epidemic prevention network as quickly as possible, and improve our country's ability to prevent and control epidemics of animal diseases.

Hui Liangyu said: The current epidemic situation with regard to HPAI is grim, and the task of prevention and control is arduous. All localities and departments must earnestly implement the party Central Committee and State Council's unified plans; take the opportunity of studying, publicizing, and implementing the "Regulations" to comprehensively carry out various prevention and control measures as well as supporting policies on promoting the poultry industry's sound development through reliance on science, prevention and control in accordance with the law, and mass prevention and control; resolutely prevent the spread of the epidemic and the transmission of the epidemic to humans; and make contributions to safeguarding the masses' lives, property, and safety and to promoting comprehensive, coordinated, and sustainable economic and social development.

Source: BBC Monitoring Asia Pacific

More News in this Category