China's education authorities have laid out a national flu-prevention plan especially for the upcoming national college entrance exam after a rise in the number of A/H1N1 flu cases.

Dai Jiagan, director of the National Educational Examination Administration (NEEA), said Monday the plan covered exam preparation, implementation and emergency response based on the experience of SARS in 2003.

Dai said exam rooms would be disinfected twice a day and every examinee and invigilator would be required to have their body temperature measured before entering the rooms.

"A separate exam room will be prepared for the exam takers showing flu and fever symptoms," he said.

Papers of exam takers suspected of having flu would be disinfected before being marked.

Dai refused to reveal many details of the plan out of exam security concerns. However, he stressed that a quarantine and report system would be established for the NEEA exam. Anyone suspected of having flu symptoms during the exam would be reported and treated.

Dai said preparations for the exam were almost complete. Local exam agencies were checking and disinfecting exam rooms.

In Beijing, with more than 100,000 college exam applicants, the 120 emergency service would increase the number of ambulances around exam sites.

If exam takers were found with acute fever symptoms, the 120 emergency service would give emergency aid free of charge.

Known as "gao kao" in Chinese, the national college entrance exam, which falls on June 7 to 9 each year, is the largest examination in the world.

Education Minister Zhou Ji had predicted the overall number of applicants would exceed 10 million this year. Last year's total was 10.5 million.

The applicants will compete for 6.29 million seats in China's universities and colleges.

The exam can change the candidates' lives in a fiercely competitive society.

"The exam must be safe and fair, and the government has the duty to protect its security," Dai said.

The tally of confirmed A/H1N1 flu cases on the Chinese mainland was 36 as of 4:00 PM Monday, according to the Ministry of Health.

(Xinhua News Agency June 2, 2009)