China Works to Stifle the Truth About Bird Flu Outbreak

It’s been named H7N9 and is the latest avian flu strain outbreak that’s causing panic throughout China. The flu wasn’t detected until late March 2012, although it first struck sometime in February 2013. The news first surfaced from a Chinese village located in the Chaoyang district in early April 2013.

Fox News reported that, “In a bid to calm public jitters over the virus, Chinese authorities have detained a dozen people for spreading rumors about the spread of bird flu.” (1)

The LA Times reported that, “At least 10 people have been arrested under a Chinese law banning rumors, charged with posting false information about new cases of bird flu.” (2)

These measures clearly failed as the flu spread and more people became aware of it. To-date there have been 87 cases reported that resulted in 17 deaths.

The LA Times reported that in an effort to assuage public fear, “an official in Hunan province hosted a banquet Wednesday for about 150 workers at which he served only poultry: chile fried chicken, chicken wings, chicken intestines and duck eggs”. (2)

Despite such attempts of government reassurances, the Chinese public distrusts the government after the 2002 SARS epidemic that they felt the government attempted to Read more…