100 Million Chinese Migrate, Concern H1N1 Will Spike
By Xiong Bin & Lin Li Dec 30, 2009

Migrant workers returning to their homes for holidays in January and February will trigger another spike in the H1N1 epidemic in mainland China, according to U.S. virologist, Dr. Lin Xiaoxu.

Almost half of the 225 million migrants are expected to return home by the Chinese New Year at the beginning of February, according to China's National Bureau of Statistics.

The tide of workers mostly comes from southern China, the most highly concentrated region of migrants. Of those returning home, a quarter will set out from Guangdong Province, the factory hub of China.

With a potential virus mutation looming and more wintry weather, Lin said it will become even more difficult to control the H1N1 epidemic.

“People are worried that the avian flu (H5N1) will recombine with H1N1 or have another lethal mutation that strengthens the infectiousness,” Lin said. “Southern China has always been easy prey to outbreaks of epidemics.”

The concern is that H1N1 will recombine with H5N1 avian flu, to create a superflu. H5N1 has a mortality rate as high as 60 percent. Professor Su Ih-jen, former director of Centre for Disease Control in Taiwan, said the H1N1 flu has low mortality but high infectiousness, while the H5N1 bird flu has low infectiousness but high mortality.

“We are more concerned that H1N1 will recombine with seasonal flu,” Su told Sound of Hope radio. He said a lack of effective systems to report H1N1 infections in China means the true numbers are expected to be much higher than those published.

Lin said that if China’s health department cannot monitor the trend of the virus’ mutation, vaccination will be a daunting task.

“Some areas have already had serious outbreaks of avian flu, swine flu, blue-ear pig disease, and hand-foot-mouth disease. I think these areas need to be monitored more carefully,” Lin said.

Doctors have received notices throughout China’s municipal and provincial hospitals not to diagnose H1N1 for patients, according to research conducted by New Tang Dynasty Television (NTDTV).

Instead, doctors have been told to diagnose patients with “seasonal flu” or “pneumonia,” with only the severely ill patients selected to undertake an H1N1 confirmation test. Those with mild symptoms are sent home, according to doctors.

Recent interviews by The Epoch Times have revealed that doctors, school staff, experts, and ordinary Chinese people are all painting the same picture—of a swiftly moving pandemic that is being covered up, based on instruction from the communist regime’s leadership.

A senior doctor from Chaoyang County in northeast China’s Liaoning Province told NTDTV that the regime has abdicated responsibility for treatment of H1N1 cases, and that cadres at all levels are covering up the pandemic to save their political careers.

“Now, we don’t report [H1N1], we just say that it is a flu,” the doctor said on condition of anonymity. “The government does not care … There are plenty of regulations—if 10 people die, you cannot report all 10, you can only report one. Now, there are only lies.”
_________________