Relevant departments of Beijing Municipality have paid much importance to the influenza A(H1N1)epidemic that broke out in Mexico and America late this April, and the universal prevention and control over the influenza A(H1N1)epidemic have officially kicked off throughout the municipality. Beijing Center for Disease Control and Prevention revealed on April, 27 that since the very day, 125 medium and large hospitals above the second tier across the municipality will carry out the influenza-like case monitoring.

No Suspected Case Found in Beijing to Date

influenza A(H1N1)is a swine respiratory system disease caused by type-A influenza A(H1N1)virus, which may trigger the influenza breakout among pigs. Usually, the humankind is seldom infected by the influenza A(H1N1)virus. The director of Beijing Center for Disease Control and Prevention says the virus has broken the spread from animals to humans, and led to the spread between humans, indicating the new combination of the pathogen of the virus. "No suspected cases for the humans infected by the influenza A(H1N1)have been found in Beijing Municipality to date."

"As an international metropolis, Beijing faces higher risks of the imported cases than other cities," reveals the director of the Institute for the Prevention of Infectious Diseases and Endemic Diseases of the Center. Beijing Health Bureau has worked together with such departments as the entry inspection and quarantine bureau to build the daily information reporting system and conduct the follow-up investigation on the inbound suspected cases. If finding the influenza-like symptom within two weeks after returning from Mexico and America, relevant person shall contact the local disease control center in time.

Cases with Contact History Shall Report within 2 Hours

Now, Beijing Municipality has carried out the infectious disease symptom monitoring in the medical institutions throughout the city, conducted the registration, reporting, investigation and sampling regarding the pyrexia cases, and implemented the suspected case screening. Any influenza-like patient shall report to the local disease control center within 2 hours if he has the experience of traveling abroad or contacting. The district/county disease control center shall report to Beijing Center for Disease Control and Prevention within 2 hours after receipt of the reporting, and preliminarily complete the epidemiologic investigation report within 6 hours.

In future, the doctors at various levels of medical institutions shall conduct the epidemiologic investigation in detail when receiving any cold-symptom patients, namely asking whether the patient has been to America or Mexico one week before the incidence, whether the patient has contacted any person that has returned from Mexico or America, and whether the patient has contacted pigs or people related to pig raising, and filling out the card and submitting the card to the disease control department. "Once a patient is confirmed to catch the swine influenza, he must receive a 7-day separate therapy, and the person who has last contacted the patient shall also receive a 7-day separate observation at home."

Beijing Health Bureau will recently provide the medical staff of the medical institutions throughout the city with relevant trainings about the identification, diagnosis and treatment of the swine influenza, build up the medial treatment capacity, and actively reserve the antivirus drugs and emergency materials.

Beijing Capital International Airport Sets Body Temperature Detector

According to the Beijing Entry-Exit Inspection and Quarantine Bureau, all the inbound tourists from such key countries and territories as America must receive the body temperature examination and the epidemiologic investigation, the quarantine medalists have started implementing the boarding quarantine for the flights from the key territories, and the tourists from such territories also must open their personal parcels to receive the inspection.

The inspection and quarantine department focuses the control on the inbound tourists on the international flights from such countries and territories as America, Canada, Spain, Britain, France and New Zealand. Currently, Beijing Capital International Airport receives about six flights from America every day, and temporarily has no flights from Mexico.

The inspection and quarantine department has set up the automatic body temperature detector at the entry passage of the international arrival area of Beijing Capital International Airport to examine the body temperature of the inbound tourists. If a tourist is found to have an abnormal temperature, he will immediately receive the separate observation and relevant examinations.

The belongings of the tourists from the swine influenza-hit regions must pass three inspections - X-ray examination, the screening by the quarantine dogs, and the manual unpacking inspection. Any pork or pork products carried by tourists, if found, will be destroyed immediately.

Since April 26, the inspection and quarantine department has conducted the quarantine and sterilization for the passenger cabins and cargo cabins of the aircrafts from all the key countries and territories. The aircraft corridor bridges used by the tourists on the key flights will be sterilized as well. The wastes and leftovers generated by the aircrafts will be treated in the environment-friendly manner.

Mexican & American Pork to Be Destroyed once Found

The General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine and the Ministry of Agriculture published a joint announcement on April 27, forbidding the entry of the pigs and their products from Mexico and Texas, California and Kansas of America, and prohibiting the entry of the pork and pork products from Mexico and America that are posted or carried by tourists. The pigs and pork that enter China in violation of the laws will be destroyed immediately once found.

The pigs and their products shipped on April 26 from Mexico and Texas, California and Kansas of America shall be returned or destroyed. The pigs and their products shipped prior to April 25 from the said regions shall be released only after the influenza A(H1N1)detection as confirmed as conforming.

If pigs and their products from Mexico and America are found on any international navigating ships, aircrafts, trains and other vehicles that pass through or stay in our country, they shall be sealed. The vehicles from the epidemic regions shall be sterilized for disease control.

April 29, 2009