China: Viral outbreaks damaging credibility

The recent outbreak of yet another strain of bird flu, this time with the alphanumeric combination of H7N9, begs the question why this disturbing phenomenon keeps returning to China, and to scare the world? The country’s poultry industry, one of its fastest growing sectors, with an annual production of millions of tonnes, is seen by observers and experts to be in dire need of catching up with the rest of the highly industrialised poultry-producing countries in terms of farming practices, food safety controls and disease prevention. Poultry farming being a live industry, these factors are among the most significant indicators of its own health — and by extension, the health of consumers.

Fuelling this growth is the phenomenal spread of the fast-food culture in China and its rising global exports. Keeping pace with this insatiable demand can only be truly productive if lapses in safety measures and quality control are completely eliminated. The repeated viral outbreaks are damaging China’s credibility, denting consumer confidence and opening doors to global health scares — setbacks it can ill afford if it wants to stay at the top of the game.