Farmer sues the National Health and Family Planning Commission, demanding that H7N9 avian influenza be renamed

According to a report by China National Radio's "News Horizon," H7N9? H7N9 virus? Or H7N9 avian influenza? Since the novel reassortant H7N9 virus first appeared in China in March last year, the descriptions and explanations of the virus have been diverse and endless: officials have their version, experts have questions, and among the public there are rumors. But no matter what, most people still associate the "H7N9 virus" with "poultry," because whether official, expert, or ordinary citizen, everyone calls the virus "H7N9 avian influenza"! This has also led many consumers to turn pale at the mention of chicken and keep their distance. For most people, what H7N9 is called seems not to matter much, because as long as they don't eat poultry, it's fine. But in the eyes of poultry farming enterprises, the name "avian influenza" is bringing them catastrophe.

A poultry farming enterprise in Jilin claims it lost nearly 16 million yuan in 2013 because of the name "H7N9 avian influenza." Recently, the company's chairman took the National Health and Family Planning Commission to court, demanding that the commission follow the recommendations of relevant international organizations and replace "H7N9 avian influenza" with names such as "H7N9" and "H7N9 virus." So, is H7N9 actually related to avian influenza? And what is the basis for the name "H7N9 avian influenza"?

For Cheng Enbao, chairman of Jilin Province Dehui City Chengpeng Poultry Co., Ltd., the past few years have been hard. He weathered the "antibiotic chicken" and "fast-growing chicken" scandals, and thought his hard days were over. In the end, after China reported human infections with the H7N9 virus on March 31 last year, his enterprise still collapsed.

Cheng Enbao: In 2012, I brought in 110,000 sets of breeding chickens, on November 21, 110,000 sets, and I invested 11 million yuan. I raised them to the point where they were just about to lay eggs and produce chicks, when reports of avian influenza came out. In society, those who raise chickens didn't dare raise chickens, and those who eat chicken didn't dare eat chicken. In the previous two years, the figure was nearly 3 yuan per chick. Once avian influenza was reported, the average for all of 2013 was less than 6 mao per chick. With 110,000 chickens, I lost more than 16 million. The more you raise, the more you lose.

Cheng Enbao blames this on the National Health and Family Planning Commission's name for the virus: H7N9 avian influenza. He says the World Health Organization, the World Organisation for Animal Health, the UN Food and Agriculture Organization and other relevant international organizations have consulted and recommended using names such as "H7N9" and "H7N9 virus." The commission added the character "avian" without legal basis and announced it publicly as "H7N9 avian influenza," which is inconsistent with the common practice of international organizations.

Cheng Enbao: Anyone else can name it however they want. This designation by the commission is irresponsible, and there is no definitive information that it is transmitted from poultry to humans. I think it is unfair to us, directly like stabbing us to death with one stroke.
In the complaint Cheng Enbao just submitted to the Beijing No. 1 Intermediate People's Court, he made two main litigation requests:
Cheng Enbao: The designation "human infection with H7N9 avian influenza" is erroneous and should be revoked; a specific administrative act should be newly made regarding the designation "human infection with H7N9 avian influenza."
Reporter: Specifically, how would it be implemented?
Cheng Enbao: The commission could call it "human infection with H7N9 influenza" or "human infection with H7N9 virus," either would be fine.