Required Report - public distribution

**Date:** 7/12/2004

**GAIN Report Number:** CH4021

CH2222

**China, Peoples Republic of**

**Livestock and Products**

**Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza Outbreak in Anhui Province**

**2004**

**Approved by:**

![](media/image1.wmf)Maurice House

U.S. Embassy, Beijing

**Prepared by:**

Casey Bean

**Report Highlights:**

Four months after declaring that avian influenza had been stamped-out,
on February 7, 2004, China\'s General Administration of Quality
Supervision Inspection and Quarantine (AQSIQ) announced confirmation of
a case of highly pathogenic avian influenza (H5N1 strain) in a flock of
chickens on a small-scale farm in Anhui Province. Though not mentioned
in the official announcement, China notified this bird flu outbreak, for
the first time, to the World Organization of Animal Health (OIE).
Chinese authorities destroyed all birds within a 3-km radius and
immunized all birds within a 5-km radius of the original outbreak.
Following is an unofficial translation of the announcement.

Includes PSD Changes: No

Includes Trade Matrix: No

Unscheduled Report

Beijing \[CH1\]

\[CH\]

Four months after declaring that avian influenza had been stamped-out,
on February 7, 2004, China\'s General Administration of Quality
Supervision Inspection and Quarantine (AQSIQ) announced confirmation of
a case of highly pathogenic avian influenza (H5N1 strain) in a flock of
chickens on a small-scale farm in Anhui Province. Chinese authorities
destroyed all birds within a 3-km radius and immunized all birds within
a 5-km radius of the infected farm.

Though not mentioned in the official announcement, China notified this
bird flu outbreak, for the first time, to the World Organization of
Animal Health (OIE). According to this report, authorities destroyed
6,640 birds. The "emergency report" can be found at the following OIE
website:

http://www.oie.int/eng/info/hebdo/aIS_37.htm#Sec1

Following is an unofficial translation of the AQSIQ announcement.

**GENERAL ADMINISTRATION OF QUALITY SUPERVISION, INSPECTION AND
QUARANTINE OF THE PEOPLE'S REPUBLIC OF CHINA**

# EXTRA URGENT AQSIQ Foreign Letter \[2004\] No. 531

**Information Circular on the Occurrence of Highly Pathogenic Avian**

**Influenza in Chaohu City of Anhui Province**

Embassies of Relevant Countries in China:

The General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and
Quarantine of the People's Republic of China presents its compliments to
the embassies of the relevant countries in China and has the honor to
inform them that the Chinese Ministry of Agriculture has released an
urgent circular on the occurrence of avian influenza in Chaohu City of
Anhui Province.

As reported by the Ministry of Agriculture on July 6, the China National
Avian Influenza Reference Laboratory confirmed on July 5 that the death
of chickens occurred in Juchao District, Chaohu City of Anhui Province
was caused by highly pathogenic H5N1 subtype avian influenza.

On July 3, the Chinese Ministry of Agriculture received a report, which
states that the death of chickens in Juchao District, Chaohu City of
Anhui Province occurred and was initially diagnosed by local veterinary
department as suspected cases of highly pathogenic avian influenza. Upon
receipt of the report, the Ministry of Agriculture immediately sent a
supervision and inspection group to the above epidemic area to monitor
and supervise the control and eradication of the epidemic, the
implementation of various prevention and treatment measures and to stop
the spread of the epidemic. The local government, according to the
relevant regulations, sent specimens to the National Avian Influenza
Reference Laboratory for isolation and identification of pathogens,
sealed off the epidemic area in accordance with the Animal Quarantine
Law of the People's Republic of China, killed all the fowl within 3
kilometers of the epidemic point and carried out compulsory immunization
to fowls within 5 kilometers of the epidemic area. Up to now the
epidemic situation has been brought under control and no personnel have
been found infected.

Based on the investigation and analysis conducted by experts sent by the
Chinese Ministry of Agriculture, the chicken farm where the epidemic
broke out is located on a relatively isolated mountain slope; the chicks
were bought locally but the place where the chicks were bought was not
affected by the epidemic. However, as the chicken farm where the
epidemic broke out is close to Chaohu Lake, it is highly possible that
migratory and aquatic birds transmitted the epidemic.

The Chinese department concerned has sent a timely report on the above
epidemic situation and its prevention and treatment to the FAO and the
WHO, respectively.

Since July 7, the General Administration of Quality Supervision,
Inspection and Quarantine of the People's Republic of China has
suspended export of fowl and fowl products (fowl products\--processed as
per the treatment standard that they must be treated with a center
temperature equivalent to or above 70º Centigrade for at least 1 minute,
fowl and egg products such as cooked fowl, fowl bone powder, preserved
egg, salted egg and egg powder, down and feather products including down
clothes and down quilt, with the exception of water washable down
feather, fowl feather powder, etc which meet the national
standard)\--from Anhui Province, and further strengthened supervision
and management over process including production, processing and
transportation, etc. as well as exit inspection of fowl and fowl
products exported from other provinces, and conducted strict supervision
and control of epidemic situation of the export fowl farm concerned so
as to ensure safety and hygiene of fowl and fowl products for export.

In view of the fact that various regions in China are provided with
natural geographic barriers such as mountains and rivers guarding
against animal epidemic disease as well as the epidemic situation
prevention system formed by epidemic prevention and quarantine organs at
different levels from the county, the region, the province to the state,
strict epidemic prevention and quarantine have been carried out to
animal and animal products transported via railways, highways, rivers,
and aviation in different regions. After highly pathogenic avian
influenza occurred in Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region and some other
provinces in January 2004, the Chinese government has formulated and
adopted a series of effective measures to control the epidemic situation
in time and accumulated experiences.

After the epidemic situation in Anhui Province this time, the Chinese
government has also adopted the corresponding catching and killing as
well as control and preventive protection measures in strict compliance
with the regulations so that the epidemic situation was detected in
time, controlled and eliminated within the isolation area. Therefore, we
hope that the governments of the relevant countries will observe
regulations, under the principle of regionalization of OIE, and
implement regionalized policy towards China's fowl and fowl products and
should not prohibit the import of fowl from provinces where no epidemic
has occurred.

The General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and
Quarantine of the People's Republic of China requests embassies of
relevant countries in China to communicate with the relevant departments
responsible for the work in your country and hope that the authorities
concerned in your country will accept the rationalized suggestions from
the Chinese side, based on the principle of being scientific, practical
and realistic as well as the WTO/SPS principle of minimized trade. We
are willing to cooperate closely with the relevant departments
responsible for the work in your country and enhance exchange and
communication of information so as to promote sound development of
bilateral relationship.

We appreciate your support to our work over the long period of time.

The General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection\
and Quarantine of the People's Republic of China\
(seal)

July 7, 2004