China has framed emergency regulations to respond to major animal epidemics in the wake of the bird flu outbreaks in the country.

The regulations, approved by the State Council and published Monday in major Chinese media, provide a "strong legal means" to shore up the country's drive to control and stamp out such major outbreaks as bird flu, Vice-Minister of Agriculture Yin Chengjie said.

Although the document mainly targets bird flu, Yin said it also applies to other animal contagions like foot-and-mouth disease.

It prescribes that veterinary authorities at various levels should have contingency plans, details the role of emergency response offices and specifies procedures for epidemic surveillance, information gathering and reporting.

This year, the mainland reported 21 outbreaks of bird flu in nine provinces and autonomous regions, including one in which migratory birds were infected, Yin said.

Cumulatively, bird flu killed 144,624 head of poultry, prompting the culling of another 21.18 million, he said.

The latest outbreaks, reported on Sunday, were in North China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region and Central China's Hubei Province, and killed a total of 3,676 chickens, ducks and geese. Authorities culled 7,000 birds to contain the outbreaks, Xinhua said.

In recent weeks, the Ministry of Agriculture has been updating information on outbreaks at its official website (www.agri.gov.cn/ztzl/fkqlg/).

According to the new regulations:

No one except the competent veterinary authorities under the State Council can release information on major animal epidemics. Information will be provided in an accurate and timely manner.

The responsibilities of forestry and veterinary departments in jointly monitoring the source of terrestrial wild animal epidemics are set forth.

Any act of delaying or failing to report an outbreak, or concealing the real situation, will be severely dealt with.

In case of a major animal epidemic, different measures including culling, disinfection, quarantine and closure of animal product markets must be applied to different areas based on how far they are away from the infected site.

Servicemen and police should support the epidemic control work.

In case an animal outbreak is likely to infect humans, health departments should monitor vulnerable people and adopt preventive and control measures in the afflicted areas. Health and veterinary authorities should share information in a timely fashion.

Cao Kangtai, director of the State Council Legal Affairs Office, Monday said the regulations summarize China's expertise and experience in combating major animal epidemics in recent years.

Meanwhile, the Ministry of Health assured foreign diplomats in Beijing that it is safe in China despite the bird-flu outbreaks.

"There is no proof that the bird-flu virus can be transmitted from human to human. The situation is under control," Lei Zhenglong, an official with the ministry, told diplomats Monday at a briefing.

The briefing was organized by the ministries of agriculture and health.

Bird flu prevention and control is a challenge for China and the whole world, Barry O'Neil, assistant director-general of the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry of New Zealand, told China Daily Monday. "It is a global mission."

According to Li Jinxiang, vice-director of the Veterinary Bureau of the Ministry of Agriculture, international collaboration will be strengthened to fight the disease.

Quarantines imposed on the first three epidemic-hit regions have been removed, said Li. The three regions are Hohhot in North China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, Tianchang in East China's Anhui Province, and Xiangtan County in Central China's Hunan Province.

Source: China Daily