Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao on Tuesday called for enhanced swine flu prevention and control in a State Council, or Cabinet, meeting in the wake of an outbreak of swine flu in countries including Mexico.

The meeting, presided over by Wen, heard reports from the government including the Ministry of Health, on global swine flu situation.

As of Tuesday morning, no cases of the illness had been reported in China, and similar virus has not been found in pigs in China, said a meeting release.

However, the Hong Kong Center for Health Protection said on Monday that a Hong Kong woman who developed symptoms of respiratory infection and fever while traveling in the United States was being tested for swine flu.

"The Communist Party of China Central Committee and the government has paid great attention to the epidemic situation in countries such as Mexico, and the government has taken emergent measures to strengthen monitoring and prevention work," the release said.

The meeting did not exclude the possibility that the epidemic could spread to China as "the situation in some countries is developing, more suspected cases have been found and the epidemic-stricken area is expanding."

The meeting called for maintaining high alert and taking effective measures to closely monitor the epidemic situation, safeguard people's health and safety and ensure a smooth social production order.

(Xinhua News Agency April 28, 2009)