China working to prevent post-quake epidemics

Source: China Daily/Agencies | 06-03-2008 13:47

Special Report:   Post-quake reconstruction
Special Report:   Strong quake jolts SW China

BEIJING, June 3 -- Health authorities vowed Monday to push ahead with measures to ensure the health of victims and prevent any outbreak of disease following last month's deadly earthquake in Sichuan Province.

A medical worker (R) from east China's Zhejiang Province  examines a local man at Qinggang Village, Gucheng Town,  Pingwu County, in southwest China's Sichuan Province, on  May 23, 2008. Large numbers of medical workers have arrived  at local villages in the quake-hit area in Sichuan Province  to provide medical treatment and health services. (Xinhua Photo)

Water and food safety, proper hygiene at shelters, and the disposal of dead bodies and garbage are top priorities, the Health Ministry said.

"If we can do those four things properly, we have the confidence to guarantee there will be no epidemics after the disaster," ministry spokesman Mao Qun'an said in an online interview on the central government's website www.gov.cn. He said there was no evidence of contagious diseases among the 5 million homeless in the quake zone.

Bodies discovered in the rubble were being "scientifically handled" and would not contaminate water sources, Mao added.

Any bodies that could not be cremated were being buried far from natural water sources, and more than 10,000 injured people had been transferred to hospitals outside Sichuan for treatment, he said.

The 8-magnitude earthquake on May 12 has killed 69,019 people, with another 18,627 people are still missing.

As of Saturday, hospitals in major cities had treated 89,818 quake survivors, of whom 59,877 have been discharged, latest official statistics have showed.

More than 16,000 epidemic control experts are working on the ground to guard against major epidemic outbreaks, Mao said.

The authorities in Sichuan have also stocked up vaccines for diseases such as rabies, anthrax, measles, and hemorrhagic fever, and are ready for mass inoculation when necessary.

 

Editor:Zhang Ning