After banning live
poultry trade because of H7N9, Nanjing
stepped up efforts to halt the
spread of bird flu.
City
authorities in Nanjing, capital of
Jiangsu province, ordered on Sunday
that urban residents kill all their
poultry and livestock, regardless of
their health, by midnight
Tuesday.
A fine of up to
50 yuan ($7.98) would be imposed on
residents who had livestock after the
deadline.
City authorities will
provide help in killing and
disinfecting the animals upon request.
By Tuesday, more than 2,000 livestock
and poultry were slaughtered by the
authority, a local newspaper
reported.
However, a guideline
for the disposal of infected animals
published by the Ministry of
Agriculture on Tuesday said that only
animals confirmed as H7N9-positive should
be killed and disinfected. The
movement of other animals in same
area should be restricted until the
chances of their infection could be
excluded.
Yao Jiezhang, a
veterinarian and spokesman at the
Beijing Bureau of Agriculture's animal
husbandry and veterinary station, said
Nanjing's measures go too far
and could cause panic.
Nanjing
suspended all live poultry trade and
shuttered poultry markets on
Saturday.
"We don't dare
eat chicken," said Ji Shuhua, a
Nanjing resident. "And there is no
chicken being sold in the market
now."
Latest
development of H7N9 in
China[Special]
