China tightens checks on Sars and bird flu

China increased its precautions against the twin health threats of Sars and bird flu today as it entered its peak travel period ahead of the Lunar New Year.

Vice Premier Wu Yi, who is also health minister, called on quarantine, railway and aviation officials to work together to prevent the possible spread of Sars, as hundreds of millions of Chinese travel home to rural villages for the holiday Thursday, the official Xinhua News Agency reported.