Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao presided over an executive meeting of the State Council, China's cabinet, on Wednesday, to analyze and step up bird flu prevention and control.

The premier said all the concerned localities have taken active measures and the bird flu prevent and control work is being conducted in an effective and orderly way in the affected areas.

He urged various localities to maintain sharp vigilance on the severe situation in fighting bird flu epidemic and take strict measures to curb the spread of the bird flu and prevent human infection of the virus.

According to 12 measures adopted at the meeting, China will allocate two billion yuan (US$25 million) out of this year's central budget to set up the bird flu prevention and control fund and initiate a national headquarters to oversee the prevention and control work.

The measures urged the localities concerned to make perfect the system in monitoring, forecasting and reporting bird flu epidemic and take harsh legal actions against those who delay reporting or cover up the epidemic outbreaks.

Various localities should improve the emergency response mechanism and take decisive measures to slaughter, sterilize and separate in case of new occurrence of the epidemic.

And efforts should be strengthened to step up immunization in the border areas, poultry farms and water regions and give priority to the development of high-tech and more effective vaccines, according to the measures.

The executive meeting stressed that it is of vital importance to achieve success in the prevention and control of the bird flu epidemic and strict measures should be taken to prevent human infection of the virus, which concerns the general situation of economic development and social stability.

The meeting promised China will continue to actively take part in international cooperation and report timely to relevant international organizations, countries or regions on the spread of the bird flu virus.

(Xinhua News Agency November 3, 2005)