No epidemics have been reported in the regions struck by Monday's earthquake in southwest China's Sichuan Province, Gao Qiang, deputy health minister, told reporters on Thursday.

Responding to a question from CCTV concerning diseases in the disaster area, Gao said: "We will try to achieve the goal of 'no big epidemic after a great disaster'."

Gao said the goal was based on scientific evidence and plans. He said that China had been able to control epidemics after all the major natural disasters that had occurred since 1976, including the 7.8-magnitude quake in north China's Tangshan City.

He said Chinese medical workers had acquired better knowledge of epidemic diseases and knew effective measures to prevent them.

"We have made careful plans for disease control and prevention in disaster areas and have sent a large group of medical workers to those areas to carry out the plans," said Gao.

"However, whether we achieve the goal of 'no big epidemic after a great disaster' will depend on the real work we do in those areas," he added.

(Xinhua News Agency May 15, 2008)