China's State Council has earmarked a special fund of RMB2 billion for bird flu epidemic control.
In a meeting chaired by Premier Wen Jiabao, the State Council also announced that it would reactivate the national command headquarters to coordinate efforts against bird flu.
In addition to funding, the State Council said, any failure, delay or cover-up in reporting outbreaks will be dealt with harshly, according to sources.
The State Council statement said the country should improve emergency procedures and prevention and treatment measures for human infection, and strengthen monitoring of live poultry markets.
