The fact that dozens of people have been infected with the lethal H5N1 avian virus in neighbouring countries has already made it clear that bird flu can pass from animals to humans.

The possibility of three people with symptoms of pneumonia in Central China's Hunan Province having been infected demonstrates that an outbreak among humans is not impossible.

We can never be too alert in the face of a possible outbreak, although further laboratory tests are needed to confirm whether or not the three were really infected with the virus. One of the them, a 12-year-old girl, is already dead.

It is crucial for doctors and scientists to find out as early as possible whether China is witnessing its first cases of avian influenza in the human population. If confirmed, experts should try their best to determine how the victims were infected with a view to future prevention and treatment.

Reports suggest two of the three patients had close contact with sick birds and the third had an open wound on his hand while killing a chicken. These clues are important, suggesting infections were not down to human contact alone.

The condition of the pair from Hunan that are still alive should be closely monitored. If they have been infected and recover, their cases will provide a precious insight that may help in the treatment of other patients.

Whatever the outcome, it is obvious that any carelessness in contact with domestic animals or migratory birds could have disastrous consequences.

Authorities in Beijing inspected 358 fowl farms around the capital on Sunday, and some were found not to have adopted the proper measures.

Eighteen farms have been closed down because of problems in implementing anti-virus measures.

Beijing also announced on Sunday that trading live domestic birds has been suspended in the city and the import of live fowl has been banned for the time being.

We saw on television that quarantine workers have been sterilizing all vehicles passing through infected areas in the county of Heishan in Northeast China's Liaoning Province, where 15 villages were reported to have been involved in the outbreak of bird flu.

Authorities in the city of Changchun in Liaoning's neighbouring Jilin Province closed down all live animal trading markets.

All localities and departments at various levels have been mobilized to prevent the bird flu epidemic from spreading and being passed to humans.

An international meeting will be convened in Geneva this week to work on a strategy to control the virus in domestic animals and prepare for a possible human pandemic.

The meeting should lead to the co-ordination of national efforts.

Experts say no one can predict if or when the virus may spark a pandemic among humans. Yet, preparedness averts peril. It pays to be prepared and on high alert.

The world must acknowledge that humans are vulnerable to disease and natural disasters. We should reflect on what we humans have done to nature and animals. We cannot say for sure that there is a connection between the virus and the way we live. Yet global warming and the deteriorating environment should already have sounded an alarm. We should behave in a more responsible manner.

(China Daily November 8, 2005)