Reduce H7N9 human fatalities, Premier Li Keqiang tells health officials
Call comes as number of infected people reaches 124 and mass cull of poultry is carried out
Premier Li Keqiang urged health officials yesterday to reduce the fatality rate of the H7N9 bird flu and release information to the public in a timely manner as the deadly strain spreads in southern China.
His comments came as a city in Guangdong culled poultry en masse yesterday.
"It's a new bird flu virus, and we are still far from getting all of the information about it … meanwhile, we should try our best to reduce fatalities and release true data and information to the public," Li was quoted by China National Radio as saying at the Beijing headquarters of the Chinese Centre for Disease Control and Prevention.
He said that only through the timely and accurate release of information would the public be kept calm and at ease.
The first two deaths officially caused by the H7N9 bird flu strain occurred in February but were not reported by authorities until late March. Officials said the delayed disclosure was due to the time needed to determine the cause of the illnesses.
H7N9 cases were reported in the southern provinces of Fujian , Jiangxi and Hunan in the past week, sparking fears it might soon emerge in Guangdong and Hong Kong.
Health authorities in Jiangxi yesterday confirmed two more human cases of the virus, according to Xinhua. The number of infected people reached 124, including 23 deaths.