Home>News Center>China
       
 

China faces "major test" in bird flu fight
(Reuters)
Updated: 2005-11-23 19:53

China faces its "first real test" in dealing with avian flu but the financial impact of the disease should not be too severe, an economic strategist said on Wednesday.

China faces
A Chinese worker disinfects a poultry market in Shanghai November 22, 2005. [Reuters]

Since mid-October, China has reported 20 outbreaks of the deadly H5N1 strain of bird flu. Millions of birds have been culled, the military called in to impose quarantine zones and a mass vaccination campaign for poultry has been launched.

Compensation has also been paid to farmers for culled birds, underscoring the government's desire to minimize the impact on the rural poor and encourage cooperation.

Narrowing China's rural-urban divide is one of President Hu Jintao and Premier Wen Jiabao's key policy objectives, and getting the support of poor farmers is vital, said Andy Rothman, China macro strategist for brokers CLSA.

"We can best describe this as the first real test of Hu Jintao and Wen Jiabao's policy of putting China's poor people first," Rothman told the foreign correspondents club in Beijing.

Making sure local officials do not coerce farmers into complying with prevention measures would be crucial to the success of curbing the disease, said Rothman, which has already led to the culling of over 20 million birds in China this year.

OTHER CRISES

The government should be careful, though, that it does not shift all resources to fighting bird flu and ignore other, far more pressing health crises in China such as AIDS and malaria, Rothman said.

H5N1 has killed 67 people in Asia since 2003, and both the World Bank and Asian Development Bank have warned of the huge economic costs of a human pandemic should the virus mutate into a form that can spread easily among people.

For now, the virus is hard for humans to catch. But one person, a poultry worker from Anhui province, is known to have died of bird flu in China. Another confirmed case, a nine-year-old boy, survived infection while his dead sister is a suspected case.

But Rothman said China, where poultry meat production accounts for just 3 percent of gross domestic product and a fraction of total exports, should be spared the worst effects even if, as expected, avian flu continues to spread among birds.

Some 50 million Chinese households raise poultry, mainly in backyards, yet the average number of birds raised is just 19, he said, citing a Chinese government survey.

"I believe if people stop eating chicken, they're not going to stop eating meat. They're simply going to substitute, and most of the meat raised and consumed in China is not poultry, it's pork," Rothman said.



Fire kills 5 in Northeast China
Aerobatics show in Hunan
Final rehearsal
  Today's Top News     Top China News
 

Australia, US, Japan praise China for Asia engagement

 

   
 

Banker: China doing its best on flexible yuan

 

   
 

Hopes high for oil pipeline deal

 

   
 

Possibilities of bird flu outbreaks reduced

 

   
 

Milosevic buried after emotional farewell

 

   
 

China considers trade contracts in India

 

   
  EU likely to impose tax on imports of Chinese shoes
   
  Bankers confident about future growth
   
  Curtain to be raised on Year of Russia
   
  Coal output set to reach record high of 2.5b tons
   
  WTO: China should reconsider currency plan
   
  China: Military buildup 'transparent'
   
 
  Go to Another Section  
 
 
  Story Tools  
   
Manufacturers, Exporters, Wholesalers - Global trade starts here.
Advertisement
         
主站蜘蛛池模板: 97久久天天综合色天天综合色| 人人爽人人爽人人片av| xyx性爽欧美| 欧美三级不卡在线观线看高清| 国产va欧美va在线观看| 亚洲另类专区欧美制服| 性高朝久久久久久久| 久久婷婷五月综合97色一本一本| 狠狠色综合网久久久久久| 囯产精品一品二区三区| 香蕉视频网页版| 在地铁车上弄到高c了 | 久久精品中文騷妇女内射| 欧美国产日韩1区俺去了| 啊灬啊灬啊灬快灬高潮少妇| 麻豆精品久久久久久久99蜜桃| 国产精品亚洲а∨无码播放不卡 | 亚洲欧美日韩在线线精品| 自拍欧美在线综合另类| 国产在线精品国自产拍影院同性 | 欧美三级视频在线| 亚洲日产2021三区在线| 美国一级片免费| 国产精品一区二区av| 一级有奶水毛片免费看| 最强yin女系统白雪| 伊人久久大香线蕉综合影院首页| 美国十次啦大导航| 嘟嘟嘟在线视频免费观看高清中文| 超时空要爱1080p| 国产精品夜间视频香蕉| 三年片免费高清版| 最新黄色网址在线观看| 人人狠狠综合久久亚洲婷婷| 精品亚洲麻豆1区2区3区| 国产另类ts人妖一区二区| 久热中文字幕在线精品免费| 国产福利在线视频尤物tv| 99精品无人区乱码在线观看| 新婚娇妻1一29芷姗txt下载| 亚洲av无码码潮喷在线观看|