Commentary: Float and termination of rumors about bird flu

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Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Sunday, February 08, 2004

Commentary: Float and termination of rumors about bird flu

Bird flu has been attacking and harassing some Asian countries and regions, over the past few days, suspected and highly pathogenic bird flu epidemic has also occurred in many Chinese provinces and cities one after another. Meanwhile, rumors about bird flu have surfaced one after another at home and abroad. However, this time rumors have found no market.

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Bird flu has been attacking and harassing some Asian countries and regions, over the past few days, suspected and highly pathogenic bird flu epidemic has also occurred in many Chinese provinces and cities one after another. The Party Central Committee and cadres and masses in various localities have reinforced their confidence to press ahead despite difficulties. They have heroically and effectively launched a blocking war of prevention and control of bird flu. Meanwhile, rumors about bird flu have surfaced one after another at home and abroad. However, this time rumors have found no market.

Let's first take up some international conjectures and rumors. An article carried in the British New Scientist magazine claims that the source of bird flu outbreaks probably lies in China and it began last year. On February 2, Britain-based The Times asserted that there were cases of bird flu affected humans in China. Now let's take up some domestic rumors about bird flu. Some people groundlessly hold that with the outbreak of bird flu, all chickens, ducks and other fowls are uneatable, even are eggs, down jackets and down quilts are unusable, making it seem that they are all virus-infected. However, their remarks are utterly groundless, unscientific, fabricated and irresponsible.

If rumors are not eliminated in time, then the negative influence brought by their rapid spread sometimes is even worse than virus. The cause of rumors lies in people's ignorance of related matters and their intention to quickly find out the reason, consequently some other people act on hearsay, adding to it their own incorrect understanding and imagination, linking it groundlessly with unrelated matters and fabricating some specious things. On the other hand, impediment of news from the right source will lead to the rapid spread of hearsay. At the same time, there are a handful of people, who desire to stir up trouble, make blind and disorderly conjectures and harbor ulterior motives. Some Western mass media often like to make ungrounded conjectures, more often than not, they approach problems with bias and prejudice.

The best way to remove rumors is to take an open, transparent and rational attitude toward things, this is the conclusion already proved by the fight against SARS (severe acute respiratory syndrome), it has again been proved by the fact that now rumors about bird flu hardly find audiences.

In face of rumors from abroad, spokespersons of the Ministries of Foreign Affairs and Health have timely refuted the rumors, pointing out that bird flu is a worldwide epidemic problem, the fight launched by all mankind against it has had a history of one hundred years. Knowledge of the channel and source of incidence of the disease can be confirmed only after numerous scientific researchers doing adequate experimental and research work. A BBC report said a WHO spokesperson had pointed out that the current outbreak of bird flu probably began in April last year, and denied the claim that the related virus specimen came from China. The hinterland of China has timely adopted effective measures, persistently strengthened leadership, acted in close coordination, relied on science, engaged in prevention and control of the disease according to law and on a mass basis, taken resolute action to deal with cases and quickly wiped out infected birds within a 3-km radius in the epidemic-affected areas, all these have played an important role in preventing the spread of the epidemic, that is an evident fact, proving no bird flu-infected humans. In the face of facts, when scientific and rational observation and thinking are upheld, rumor will collapse automatically and will be rarely believed in by the people.

In face of some domestic rumors, concerned departments, experts and news media have done detailed explanation work. Once bird flu is discovered, it will be timely made known to the public, in the meantime, various measures for preventing and controlling bird flu are put into practice timely and effectively. More importantly, the work of publicizing and popularizing knowledge about scientific prevention and control of bird flu will be timely done and strengthened. For instance, experts suggest that if one is not sure of the safety of the chickens and eggs sold on the market, one can give them heat treatment, this kind of virus is sensitive to heat, high-temperature can quickly kill the virus. The commonly used disinfectants can quickly destroy the infectiousness of bird flu virus. It is certain that wearing down jackets and covering down quilts and contacting related manufactured goods will not be infected with bird flu, because usually these things have gone through the treatment of sterilization, high temperature and many other physical and chemical links. All these make it very easy for the broad masses of the people to understand the situation regarding bird flu and to know that bird flu can be prevented and controlled, those preventative and control measures grasped by the masses are feasible and effective. In the face of scientific knowledge, so long as one makes a slight analysis and judgment, one will not believe rumors and will not turn pale at the mention of birds. Infectious diseases, be they SARS or bird flu, constitute threats to human beings, and so are the common enemy of humanity. In face of the epidemic, only when various countries join hands and strengthen cooperation, can they jointly prevent and cope with the disease, and only when people of the whole country unite as one man to form an impregnable fortress and rely on science, can we Chinese people finally defeat the epidemic disease. Rumor will only weaken humans' fighting capacity to meet and attack the epidemic disease, which will then go rampant. We should not create, spread and believe rumors, so that rumor will hardly float up, even if it surfaces, it will be timely terminated.

By People's Daily Online

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