Death on the farm; Pigs in China.(Pig disease in China)
WITH pigs dying all over the country and the price of pork soaring, China has come under suspicion of attempting to cover up a dangerous outbreak of an infectious disease. It is not the first time such suspicions have fallen upon China
http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-167940282.htmlPig Disease in China Worries the World
... Moving rapidly from one farm to the next, the virus has been devastating pig communities throughout China for more than a year, wiping out entire herds, driving pork prices up nearly 87 percent in a year and helping push the countrys inflation rate to its highest levels since 1996.
China says it is moving swiftly to stop the infections by quarantining and slaughtering the affected pigs. It says its researchers have developed an effective vaccine in record time for the likely cause — blue ear pig disease, a reproductive and respiratory illness that is highly fatal in pigs but that so far does not seem to pose danger to humans. And it maintains that it has been open and transparent all along.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007...Virus Spreading Alarm and Pig Disease in China - David Barboza
So far, the mysterious virus believed to cause an unusually deadly form of an infection known as blue-ear pig disease has spread to 25 of this countrys 33 provinces and regions, prompting a pork shortage and the strongest inflation in China in a decade.
More than that, Chinas past lack of transparency particularly over what became the SARS epidemic has created global concern.
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/08/16/business/worldbusiness/...A Swine Mess - Bryan Walsh
Chinese authorities say they have identified the virulent disease that appeared in Sichuan province in late June, which has sickened a suspected 212 people so far and killed 38: Streptococcus suis, a bacteria in pigs that very rarely infects human beings. Last week, a team of experts from Hong Kong who assisted in the investigation backed the diagnosis. All the evidence collected at this stage showed that the infections were caused by Streptococcus suis, said Dr. Lam Ping-yan, Hong Kongs Director of Health.
But some international specialists arent convinced. Strep. suis has never caused an outbreak anywhere near as large as the one in Sichuan, and the high mortality rate and severe symptomswhich include bleeding under the skin in some casesseem to be entirely new.
http://chinadigitaltimes.net/2005/08/a-swine-mess-bryan-w...Swine flu cover-up — Chinas stiff warning - Straits Times
China vowed yesterday to punish officials who falsify or delay reports on a deadly swine flu that has infected at least 198 people and killed 36, while Hong Kongs government adopted tough measures to guard against the disease.
http://asiamedia.ucla.edu/article.asp?parentid=27542Pig disease kills 24 Chinese - AFP
As of noon on Tuesday, Sichuan reported 117 people had been stricken with the disease, of which 76 cases have been confirmed.
Only five patients have recovered and left hospital so far.
The disease, caused by the streptococcus suis bacteria, which is spread among pigs, has proved so deadly that about a third of the 76 confirmed cases have died.
The people infected include farmers, all of whom have slaughtered pigs found to have the disease.
http://chinadigitaltimes.net/2005/07/pig-disease-kills-24...Authorities in southwest China are investigating a mysterious disease that has killed 17 farm workers and left 41 others ill after they handled sick or dead livestock, state media said on Monday.
The government of Sichuan province has dismissed speculation that the deaths were caused by bird flu or Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS), an assessment affirmed by the World Health Organization.
http://chinadigitaltimes.net/2005/07/mysterious-disease-k...China county accused of child virus cover-up
Chinese state media accused a local government on Tuesday of covering up the number of children suffering from hand, foot and mouth disease and the number of deaths.
http://www.reuters.com/article/latestCrisis/idUSPEK242330More sources:
http://en.wikinews.org/wiki/World_Health_Organisation:_Ch...
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