Beijing's health authorities announced on Sunday that there has
been no outbreak of cholera in the city, refuting rumors spread by
cell phone text messages.
There are no cholera cases in Beijing caused by eating
freshwater fish and shrimps, said Zhao Tao, a disease control
official with the city's health authorities.
Aquatic products sold in Beijing are currently under scrutiny
from municipal food supervision authorities and the quarantine
department, Zhao said.
Zhao said the city's disease control and prevention center has
intensified sample checks of aquatic products in supermarkets,
restaurants and other trading places.
The center has detected no cholera bacteria in aquatic products
sold in the city so far this year, the official added.
In partnership with mobile telecom operators, the city
government on Saturday sent out one million short messages to
refute scares about eating freshwater fish.
According to Zhao, last year the Beijing Disease Control and
Prevention Center revised the cholera emergency scheme. There are
now more than 300 hospitals in Beijing that provide outpatient
enteropathy services, and all diarrhoea patients will be examined
for traces of cholera virus.
(Xinhua News Agency August 27, 2006)