Official models boost confidence among chicken eaters

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Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Thursday, February 12, 2004

Official models boost confidence among chicken eaters

It was lunchtime Wednesday and a KFC outlet at Xuanwumenwai Street in downtown Beijing was doing quite good business, with nearly 85 percent of its seats occupied.

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It was lunchtime on Feb. 11 and a KFC outlet at Xuanwumenwai Street in downtown Beijing was doing quite good business, with nearly 85 percent of its seats occupied.

"I believe well-cooked poultry products are safe, especially after I saw pictures of government ministers eating chicken in the newspapers," said Zhang Yingzhu, a diner in the outlet who works for Dow Jones Company as a translator.

As part of the government efforts to allay the mounting public fear of bird flu, Chinese Minister of Agriculture Du Qinglin and Vice Minister of Health Gao Qiang Monday both tucked into chicken drumsticks under the media spotlight. Earlier, senior local officials in major cities and provinces like Shanghai, Guangdong and Zhejiang had done the same.

"Though some of my colleagues still have doubts, the acts of those officials are already enough to convince me that the properly-cooked poultry is safe for eating," said Zhang Jianpo, an office clerk in a Beijing company.

So far suspected or confirmed cases of bird flu have been found in 14 Chinese provincial-level regions, but no human infections have been reported. Medical experts said well-cooked poultry products are safe as heat could kill the virus.

The officials' public chicken feasts are expected to ease public panic and save the country's poultry industry from any unnecessary damages, said Professor Wu Jiang, director of Public Administration Department of the Beijing-based State Administrative College.

Statistics show that China produced more than 9 million tons of chicken meat and 2.5 million tons of eggs last year, or 20 and 40 percent of total worldwide production.

Meanwhile, the officials' chicken-eating has come after a series of timely and substantial measures taken by the government and therefore is "very persuasive", added Wu.

After the first bird flu case was confirmed on Jan. 27, the Chinese government immediately informed the World Health Organization and ordered immediate poultry culls and thorough sanitation in regions hit by the disease. While tightening epidemic prevention, control and monitoring efforts across the country, the government has allocated 100 million yuan (12 million US dollars) in special funds for scientific research on the disease.

Observers here also cited the officials' chicken-eating act as a fresh example of the Chinese new leadership's commitment to building a closer connection with the people.

"The outbreak of bird flu is really a terrible thing, but so far I have not felt much worried. We should believe in our government and also believe in science," said a Beijing housewife who only gave her surname Zhang.

Source: Xinhua

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