The new-type influenza originating from the North America is still torturing the world. According to the bulletin published by the World Health Organization, the influenza A (H1N1) epidemic had hit more than 20 countries up till April 28, and 117 persons in seven countries, including America and Mexico, have been confirmed to get infected with the disease.

The World Health Organization has lifted the warning level to Level 4. Considering the new-type influenza from the North America has posed a serious threat to Beijing Municipality, the Beijing Municipal Government has paid much attention to the epidemic, responded at a fast speed, and researched and implemented the measures to prevent and control the disease in time. Since last winter, the respiratory infectious disease and influenza situations have remained stable in Beijing Municipality. In the fall of 2008, Beijing Municipality launched a campaign to vaccinate 1.80 million residents with the influenza bacterin, and made a great difference. The reported incidence of the influenza-like cases in Beijing Municipality fell 10% year on year, and no influenza A (H1N1) cases have been found to date in Beijing.

Beijing Municipality has taken the following actions as required by the Preparation Plan and Contingency Plan of Beijing Municipality to respond to the Pandemic Influenza:

I. Arrange the prevention and control work quickly
Beijing Municipal Government has urgently deployed the work to prevent and control influenza A (H1N1). On April 28, Ding Xiangyang, Vice Mayor, convened a meeting attended by the executives of such departments as health, agriculture, industry and commerce, quality supervision, drug administration, propaganda, customs and entry-exit inspection and quarantine to discuss the epidemic situation faced by Beijing Municipality, and deploy the prevention and control work throughout the city. Beijing Municipality currently focuses on the universal prevention and effective control. The concrete measures include: 1. Strengthen the control over the entry of people, and reinforce the quarantine and medical observation on the people from the countries and territories with confirmed influenza A (H1N1) cases to ensure the suspected patients are identified and controlled at an early date; 2. Make full preparation in drugs, ambulances, sickrooms and other areas; and 3. Conduct the education and promotion work.

Recently, Beijing Health Bureau has held several meetings attended by relevant departments and experts to research and judge the epidemic, and formulate the prevention and control measures. 

II.  Strengthen the influenza epidemic monitoring
1. All the integrated hospitals (125 in total) in Beijing Municipality above the second level are required to conduct the influenza-like case monitoring; 
2. Carry out the infectious disease symptom monitoring in every medical institution across the municipality. All the medical and healthcare institutions (including community healthcare service centers and rural health centers) are required to monitor five symptoms, including pyrexia and diarrhea, and report them in time; 
3. Strengthen the monitoring, screening, management and epidemic treatment work with respect to the pneumonia cases and death cases if the causes are unidentifiable; and 
4. Implement the influenza-like case monitoring on relevant people engaged in swine raising and slaughtering. 

III. Strengthen the quarantine on the entry-exit people
So far, Beijing Capital International Airport has strengthened the quarantine in an overall manner. The quarantine officials will board the aircrafts to implement the health quarantine for the tourists from the North American countries in addition to the monitoring with the infrared temperature detector. Beijing Health Bureau and Beijing Entry-Exit Inspection and Quarantine Bureau have built the daily information communication mechanism. Upon finding any suspected human cases of influenza A (H1N1) among the tourists to enter China in Beijing Capital International Airport, Beijing Entry-Exit Inspection and Quarantine Bureau will immediately call the local health department, the local health department will take the suspected case with the 120 negative-pressure ambulance to the designated hospitals for screening, and the disease control center will immediately conduct the epidemiological investigation. 

At the same time, Beijing Health Bureau has also built the daily information communication mechanism with Beijing Railway Bureau, Beijing Traffic Committee, Beijing Agricultural Committee and Beijing Educational Committee. 

IV. Conduct overall screening on influenza-like cases 
The epidemic history investigation on influenza A (H1N1) will be conducted for all the influenza-like cases that seek medical treatment: 
1. Whether the patients have been to Mexico or America within two weeks before the onset; 
2. Whether the patients have contacted the patients with pyrexia from Mexico or America within one week before the onset; and
3. Whether the patients have contacted pigs, or visited pig farms or pig slaughtering locations within one week before the onset. 

When finding the influenza cases with the aforesaid epidemic history, the medical staff shall immediately register the patients, and report to the disease control center within two hours. The municipal and county disease control centers will immediately implement the epidemiological investigation. Any patient shall receive a 7-day separate therapy if the possibility of influenza A (H1N1) can not be ruled out, and the person with close contact shall receive a 7-day medical observation at home since the last exposure. 
 
V. Prepare for treatment and build the emergency material reserve. 
The first-visit responsibility system and the preliminary examination-therapy separation system will be implemented in the medical institutions. You'an Hospital and Ditan Hospital are designated as the regular hospitals to hospitalize suspected and confirmed human cases of influenza A (H1N1), and prepare standard sickrooms and negative-pressure sickrooms to treat patients. Beijing Emergency Medical Centre is designated to arrange the negative-pressure ambulances to pick up patients with respiratory infectious diseases. At present, Beijing Municipality has prepared enough drugs against the influenza virus.

VI. Vigorously carry out the campaign to promote the knowledge on disease control. 
The knowledge on influenza A (H1N1) prevention will be promoted via Beijing TV, Beijing Radio, newspapers, the Internet and other mass media, and the medical and healthcare institutions and community health service networks at all levels across the city will launch the face-to-face promotion on the disease prevent among residents. Beijing Health Bureau has now compiled and printed the "Prevent Influenza A (H1N1)¡± foldouts, which are now being distributed to residents. At the same time, Beijing Health Bureau and Beijing Entry-Exit Inspection and Quarantine Bureau have jointly printed the Notes for Entry-Exit People to Prevent Influenza A (H1N1), and are now distributing it to the people who will travel to the epidemic-hit countries.