China sets targets to curb snail fever
www.chinaview.cn 2004-05-23 22:46:17
BEIJING, May 23 (Xinhuanet) -- China will increase resources for containing the expansion of schistosomiasis in the coming four to five years and eliminating it in another seven to eight years.
The targets were unveiled by Vice Premier Wu Yi during a May 20-21 national conference on snail fever held in Yueyang City, Hunan Province, according to a government document made available to Xinhua Sunday.
Chinese President Hu Jintao also called for coordinated effortsto get the life-threatening epidemic under control and achieving the targets.
The disease has been on the rise during the past few years and it may continue to spread, said the vice premier, who described the situation as "grave."
China once contained the disease rampant in the southern rural areas, but an increasing number of cases have been reported in recent years due to a lack of proper prevention measures, said Wu.
The vice premier listed a package of measures to be taken to fight the disease, including putting a check on the source of infection, cutting off the spreading channels, protecting people susceptible to the disease and improving the monitoring of the epidemic situation.
She called for efforts to improve people's awareness and capacity to prevent infection, transform their traditional farmingmethod and lifestyle, screen out rural residents and animals infected by the disease and offer them appropriate medical treatment.
Efforts should also be made to provide clean water for farmers and change the way night soil is disposed to curb the spread of the disease.
While carrying out water conservancy and afforestation projects,local governments involved should clean up the environment to killoncomelania, which has been blamed for spreading the disease.
The vice premier promised free offer of drugs to rural people infected by the disease as well as people and animals identified as major groups susceptible to the disease, while providing poverty-stricken areas with subsidies to buy oncomelania killers.
She also called on scientists to go on with the research and increase international exchange and cooperation so as to make breakthroughs in the prevention and control of the disease in three to five years. Enditem
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