A senior official called on government departments yesterday to establish a mechanism to deal with a possible wider avian influenza outbreak.

A sound mechanism to prevent and control the spread of the disease should be set up at all levels across the country, said Hui Liangyu, vice premier and member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, while chairing a State Council work conference on bird flu prevention and control.

He urged all departments concerned to "seriously carry out the policies of the CPC and the State Council and strictly execute the Law on Animal Epidemic Prevention so as to ensure safe production in the animal husbandry industry and the health of the people."

Hui said China is now facing a hard task of curbing the spread of bird flu as the autumn-winter period is the prime time for outbreaks of the disease.

"We should fully recognize the grave situation and be fully prepared," he said.

"The risk of outbreaks should not be overlooked, and the arduousness and complex nature of the work involved should never be underestimated."

He called on relevant departments nationwide to conduct prevention and control work "orderly and effectively" and in a "scientific way."

If bird flu cases are spotted, every effort should be made to deal with the crisis and the disease should be brought under control "as quickly as possible," Hui said.

He also urged stepping up supervision and monitoring in large and medium-sized cities and their outskirts, border areas, regions inhabited by migrant birds, large poultry breeding provinces and farms as well as areas that have been affected by the disease in the past.

Meanwhile, he said, research on and extensive use of new vaccines and treatments should be furthered.

Hui called for the promotion of public awareness of how to protect against its spread to ensure the country's normal life and production.

During the conference, he also conveyed instructions from President Hu Jintao and Premier Wen Jiabao in this regard.

Foreign Ministry spokesperson Kong Quan told a regular press conference the same day that China has beefed up the quarantine of imports and exports to prevent the epidemic from spreading.

He said the H5N1 strain, which is potentially lethal to humans, was spotted on a farm in Tengjiaying village near the Inner Mongolian capital of Hohhot. "So far the situation has been under control, and no cases of human infection or any new cases have been reported."

The WHO reported 117 bird flu patients from October 26, 2003 to October 10 this year. There were 60 fatalities in four countries: 41 in Vietnam, 12 in Thailand, four in Cambodia, and three in Indonesia.

(Xinhua News Agency October 21, 2005)