No bird flu found in latest screening

All 200 people who were in close contact with a woman who died of bird flu in Beijing earlier this month were safely discharged from medical observation, the Beijing municipal health bureau said yesterday.

No new suspected cases of bird flu had also been reported as of noon yesterday, following inspections on over 358,000 people over the weekend, the bureau said on its website.

The Beijing municipal health authorities started monitoring migrant workers and other high-risk groups involved in poultry farming, slaughtering and sales, after they confirmed that a 19 year-old woman was infected with bird flu. She died in the capital on January 5.

Huang Yanqing, a native of Fujian province, was the first person infected with the highly pathogenic avian influenza virus in Beijing since 2003, the municipal health bureau said.

The 200 people who were in close contact with Huang and put under observation by the health authorities included the victim's 14 family members and neighbors.

The municipal government launched bird flu prevention and control measures following the death of Huang, including disinfecting and isolating the victim's house and hospital wards she was treated in. The authorities also issued health alerts to all medical institutions.

Similarly, the bureau said medical staff screened more than 2,000 flu patients and found no cases of bird flu among them.

However, Health Ministry spokesman Mao Qun'an urged the public to remain vigilant against bird flu outbreaks during the upcoming Spring Festival, which falls on January 26. Family reunions popular during the holiday season commonly feature chicken dishes.

"Medical institutions must strengthen monitoring, especially in areas where bird flu could erupt and particularly during Spring Festival," Mao said.