Author |
Topic Search Topic Options
|
Twiggley
Adviser Group
Joined: February 11 2006
Location: United States
Status: Offline
Points: 156
|
Post Options
Thanks(0)
Quote Reply
Calendar Event: "Pig Fever" in China Posted: December 04 2006 at 6:18pm |
Deadly diseases sweeping through China's hog farms
PRRS, PCV2 among illnesses hitting finishing facilities; few control options exist
Jeff Caldwell
Agriculture Online News and Features Editor
11/28/2006, 11:22 AM CST
"Pig Fever" is sweeping through the expanding Chinese swine industry, according to swine veterinarians who have traveled there this fall.
University of Nottingham, England, swine veterinarians Steven McOrist and Stan Done observed the outbreak first-hand during a recent visit to China's swine veterinary centers.
China's hog industry is "rapidly consolidating" on a scale similar to that in the U.S., McOrist says. This includes the segmentation of farrowing and finishing, with 500- to 1,000-head sow barns and "routine off-site finishing" popping up around Chinese cities.
Comprising a possible combination of Porcine Reproductive and Respiratory Syndrome (PRRS), Porcine circovirus type 2 (PCV2) and other diseases, this year's "Pig Fever" outbreak has swept through this growing number of Chinese finishing facilities, resulting in more than 1 million culls.
"Clinical signs were predominant in finishers and consisted of lethargy, reduced or loss of appetite, high fever and deaths, with occasional coughing only. Pigs and photos we examined also indicated generalized blue skin discoloration in some affected pigs," McOrist says. "Diagnostic tests we assessed from reliable centers showed active PRRS and PCV2 infections, with common secondary Pasteurella infections. Many of the affected farms were also positive for hog cholera infections."
The presence of other disease pathogens in general could have created conditions favorable for the development of a more severe strain of PRRS, McOrist adds.
"One likely situation is that a more acute and lethal form of PRRS, not unlike the previous SAMS (Swine Abortion and Mortality Syndrome) outbreaks in the U.S.A. has now emerged in China, and this is the published suggestion of the Chinese authorities," he says. "It is also possible that 'normal' PRDC (Porcine Respiratory Disease Complex) and PCVAD outbreaks on affected farms had become complicated by active hog cholera."
Controls have been introduced in an effort to control the outbreak that has claimed more than 1 million swine deaths in the past year. McOrist urges heightened observation and intensive treatment for swine populations where symptoms of porcine respiratory diseases are observed.
"Control was being attempted through increased PRRS vaccinations, but few other noteworthy suggestions were apparent," McOrist observes. "[Swine practitioners and producers] are urged to be vigilant for more lethal PRRS cases." http://www.agriculture.com/ag/printableStory.jhtml;jsessionid=XR0WG3QQAIRNVQFIBQPSCAQ?storyid=/templatedata/ag/story/data/1164735223274.xml&catref=ag1001
|
|
Guests
Guest Group
|
Post Options
Thanks(0)
Quote Reply
Posted: December 04 2006 at 6:31pm |
Pig Fever Here as well
Swine Fever 14/11/06 Ecuador
Archive Number |
20061114.3266 |
Published Date |
14-NOV-2006 |
Subject |
PRO/AH/EDR> Classical swine fever - Ecuador (Napo): OIE | CLASSICAL SWINE FEVER - ECUADOR (NAPO): OIE
*****************************************
A ProMED-mail post
<http://www.promedmail.org>
ProMED-mail is a program of the
International Society for Infectious Diseases
<http://www.isid.org>
Date: 15 Nov 2006
From: ProMED-mail<promed@promedmail.org>
Source: OIE Disease Information [edited]
<http://www.oie.int/Messages/061113ECU.htm>
Classical swine fever in Ecuador: (Date of previous outbreak of classical
swine fever in Ecuador reported to the OIE: 2004).
Translation of information received on 10 Nov 2006 from Dr Gustavo F. Mino
Verdesoto, Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock, Department of Animal
Health Emergency and Epidemiological Surveillance, Quito:
Report date: 10 Nov 2006.
Reason for immediate notification: re-occurrence of a listed disease in a
zone following a report declaring the outbreak(s) ended.
Identification of agent: classical swine fever virus.
Date of start of the event: 16 Oct 2006.
Location of the outbreaks: 3 outbreaks in Arosemena Tola canton (Napo
province).
Number of animals in the outbreaks: 49 susceptible animals, 8 cases, 4
deaths and 8 slaughtered.
Description of affected population: Three farms. The herd of the first one
was not vaccinated and it was probably infected by the introduction of 3
pigs of unknown origin coming from other provinces. Diagnosis in the other
2 farms was clinical following the presence of animals showing the same
clinical signs.
Laboratory where diagnostic tests were performed: National Veterinary
Laboratory Izquieta Perez.
Diagnostic tests used: anatomic-pathological examination.
Source of outbreaks or origin of infection: introduction of new animals;
illegal movement of animals; contact with infected animal(s) at
grazing/watering.
Control measures undertaken: modified stamping out; quarantine;movement
control inside the country;vaccination;disinfection of infected
premises/establishment(s); dipping/spraying.
http://www.promedmail.org/pls/promed/f?p=2400:1000
|
|
Guests
Guest Group
|
Post Options
Thanks(0)
Quote Reply
Posted: December 04 2006 at 6:46pm |
CROATIA - This is follow up report No.5 via OIE on the Classical Swine Fever outbreak in domestic pigs in Croatia. See also: 2 November 2006, 21 September ... www.thepigsite.com/swinenews/12767/classical-swine-fever-in-croatia - 27k - Cached - Similar pages |
Wednesday, November 29, 2006. View news from China Deadly diseases sweeping through China's hog farms CHINA - "Pig Fever" is sweeping through the expanding ... www.thepigsite.com/swinenews/vars/country/cn - 28k - 3 Dec 2006 - Cached - Similar pages | http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&lr=&rls=ADBS%2CADBS%3A2006-36%2CADBS%3Aen&q=pig+fever+nov+2006&btnG=Search
|
|
Guests
Guest Group
|
Post Options
Thanks(0)
Quote Reply
Posted: December 04 2006 at 6:56pm |
Are they doing lab tests or are they just assuming it is your normal Swine fever? Their vaccines sure don't seem to be working.
|
|
Guests
Guest Group
|
Post Options
Thanks(0)
Quote Reply
Posted: December 04 2006 at 7:08pm |
Old article, but this is a good time to show it.
Bird flu spreads among Java's pigs
David Cyranoski, Tokyo
Top of page
Abstract
Indonesian government scrambles to track disease.
Concerns over the presence of a dangerous strain of avian flu virus in Indonesia's pigs are growing, as government tests confirm the existence of infection. In some areas, the H5N1 virus could be infecting up to half of the pig population, without causing any signs of disease.
The initial discovery was made earlier this year by an independent researcher working outside national and international surveillance systems. Chairul Nidom, a virologist at Airlangga University's tropical-disease centre in Surabaya, Java, found the H5N1 virus in five of ten pigs tested from Banten in western Java.
The presence of the virus in pigs is a particular worry because the animals can harbour both bird and human flu viruses, and act as a 'mixing vessel' for the emergence of a strain of avian flu that can easily infect humans. There are now signs that the virus could be spreading unchecked through the pig population.
Nidom says that the pigs he tested showed no signs of illness, and the only reason he tested them was that they were kept near a chicken farm that was struck by avian flu last year. Nature has discovered that a government survey has since found similar results in the same region.
The virus was not found in 150 pigs tested from outside the area. Although the government says it has stepped up the surveillance of pigs in its seven satellite laboratories, it may fail to spot any spread of the virus because resources are short. "It's a big country," says Tri Satya Putri Naipospos, director of animal health at Indonesia's agriculture ministry. "If you want to commit to eradicating a disease, you need more money."
Nidom is also frustrated by a lack of resources. He says he has samples from another 90 pigs in Banten, but cannot afford to test them or to expand his survey to other areas.
Some health officials in Asia fear the presence of avian flu in pigs even more than in chickens or ducks. "I think pigs pose a much greater threat of spreading the disease to humans than poultry," says Nidom.
The virus was found in pigs in China in 2001 and in 2003 (see Nature 430, 955; 2004). The country stepped up its surveillance, and two surveys in 2004 found that all 8,457 samples tested were free of H5N1.
Nidom's discovery of H5N1 in pigs is a wake-up call for the Indonesian government. He says that when he first alerted the government to his findings in February, there was no reaction. "I don't know why they are so passive," he says. Nidom took his findings to a local newspaper, the Jakarta-based Kompas, which ran the story on 9 April. The news spread to international media earlier this month.
The government responded to the media attention by carrying out its own survey, and found H5N1 in three out of eight pigs it tested in Banten, Naipospos told Nature. Like those tested by Nidom, the pigs showed no outward signs of disease.
Despite this worrying result, communication has faltered between Indonesia and the international organizations charged with monitoring animal health, such as the United Nations' Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE). When interviewed by Nature last week, the OIE's regional representative for the Asia-Pacific region still referred to the presence of H5N1 in pigs as "a rumour".
The FAO and OIE cannot act until they have received official government reports, says Carolyn Benigno, animal-health officer at the FAO's regional headquarters in Bangkok. She hadn't heard of Nidom's work until Nature contacted her last week. However, Naipospos complains that although she is preparing an official report for the FAO, she cannot fast-track it because the FAO and the OIE do not classify the case as an emergency. "This is not an outbreak, it's a finding," she says, because the pigs are not ill or dying. As Nature went to press, the Indonesian government was preparing to send a report on the matter to the OIE. (See Box).
Nidom says he would like to expand his project, and to sample pigs from eastern Java. But he is not counting on being given the resources to do so. This is his second run-in with the government — in 2003 he caused a stir by releasing data showing that mass deaths of chickens at the time were caused by H5N1.
|
|
Guests
Guest Group
|
Post Options
Thanks(0)
Quote Reply
Posted: December 04 2006 at 9:06pm |
"...hog industry is "rapidly consolidating" on a scale similar to that in the U.S., .."
..............................................................................................................
That means ...Hog farming...on a grand scale.
.................................................................................................................
"...In some areas, the H5N1 virus could be infecting up to half of the pig population, without causing any signs of disease...."
.......................................................................................................................
"...Nidom says that the pigs he tested showed no signs of illness, and the only reason he tested them was that they were kept near a chicken farm that was struck by avian flu last year. ..."
....................................................................................................................
|
|
Guests
Guest Group
|
Post Options
Thanks(0)
Quote Reply
Posted: December 04 2006 at 9:27pm |
IMO If H5N1 is running through the pig population in a big way then a Bird Flu Pandemic is a done deal and will happen in the next 2 yrs or less. Too close for comfort.
|
|
Guests
Guest Group
|
Post Options
Thanks(0)
Quote Reply
Posted: December 04 2006 at 9:37pm |
China never publicly tells N. Korea what to do..... Except for Bird Flu.
China was very precise about it.
............................................................................................................
|
|
Shadow
Adviser Group
Joined: June 15 2006
Location: Canada
Status: Offline
Points: 169
|
Post Options
Thanks(0)
Quote Reply
Posted: December 04 2006 at 9:49pm |
..In some areas, the H5N1 virus could be infecting up to half of the pig population, without causing any signs of disease...."
Couldn't it be possible then, that the threat is lower since the pigs seem to be able to live with it. Pigs must have been very sick in 1917 to be noticed and documented.
Like immune? Same thing seem to be happening in the testing they did in China with immune/carrier humans.
Just wondering if this could be possible and why would a human carry bird flu and not show any symptoms. Maybe that all this will do.....hoping!
I don't acually believe this but I would like to figure it out.
|
Don't run from your past, learn from it!
|
|
Guests
Guest Group
|
Post Options
Thanks(0)
Quote Reply
Posted: December 04 2006 at 9:58pm |
Interesting way to look at it. I have been looking for the bad so much I didn't recognize a possible positive of the pig outbreak.
|
|
Guests
Guest Group
|
Post Options
Thanks(0)
Quote Reply
Posted: December 04 2006 at 10:01pm |
Maybe the pigs are carriers and the virus just hasn't figured out how to infect them yet?
|
|
Shadow
Adviser Group
Joined: June 15 2006
Location: Canada
Status: Offline
Points: 169
|
Post Options
Thanks(0)
Quote Reply
Posted: December 04 2006 at 10:14pm |
Yes the pigs probably are ( which,might only give us a few years tops)but thenwhat about Human Carriers. That we might never know as there was no testing prior.
Just seems weird when they say pigs aren't dying from this when really we're all watching carefully for the really sick pigs as a sign. Maybe this just makes our job that much harder to figure. SO Exasperating!!!!
|
Don't run from your past, learn from it!
|
|
Guests
Guest Group
|
Post Options
Thanks(0)
Quote Reply
Posted: December 04 2006 at 10:17pm |
3 patients show no symptoms of bird flu infection: Malaysia |
< langage=""> printResizeButton(); |
http://english.people.com.cn/200408/21/eng20040821_154131.html
Three patients, who were suspected of suffering from the bird flu upon admission to hospital, showed no symptoms of the disease, a minister said Saturday.
"All three have no symptoms of the bird flu such as fever with temperature exceeding 38 degrees Celsius," Health Minister Chua Soi Lek said at a press conference.
The Veterinary Services Department announced last Thursday thattests on samples from the carcasses of the two chickens in Baru Pasir Village, north state of Kelantan, had confirmed that they were infected with the bird flu virus belonging to the H5N1 strainwhich has an ability to cause severe disease in humans.
The three patients, a 40-year-old mother and her daughter, 16, from Baru Pasir Village and a 30-year-old State Veterinary Department staff, were admitted to the Hospital Kota Baharu for further checks after the bird flu virus was detected in the village two days ago.
"The mother and daughter were admitted to hospital as they saidthey were having fever but upon admission, they were not actually having fever," he said.
However, Chua said his ministry was still waiting for the results of the throat tests on the three patients who were expected to be discharged by the hospital Sunday.
"Should there be any case of avian flu in the country, we will clarify to the people. I hope the media will not speculate on the virus to avoid confusion among the public," Chua said.
He said the ministry had created an isolation ward at Hospital Kota Baharu as well as operations rooms in Tumpat and Kota Baharu as preventive measures against any outbreak of the bird flu.
Veterinary personnel destroyed some 300 chickens, ducks and petbirds in the village Thursday, as the bird flu virus of the H5N1 strain were found in the carcasses of two chickens there.
A 10 kilometer radius quarantine around the village has been imposed as a precautionary measure to check the bird flu.
Source: Xinhua |
....................................................................................................................
Some of the symptoms caused by H5N1 bird flu are unlike those of other types of flu. Notably, a sore throat, a runny nose and other symptoms we usually associate with the flu are not always seen. Indeed, some children in Vietnam who were thought to have died from encephalitis (brain inflammation) probably died from H5N1 bird flu.
A growing number of people are infected by the virus but show no signs of illness, becoming instead carriers of the disease. The variety of symptoms – including the unusual or none at all – means that cases of bird flu could go unnoticed for some time, giving the virus a chance to spread.
..............................................................................................................
In swine, signs of infection include: fever, depression, lack of appetite, coughing, difficulty breathing, discharges from the eyes, and occasional abortions may occur. Animals usually recover in 3-7 days. Certain virus strains in swine may cause very minimal to no signs of disease.
|
|
Shadow
Adviser Group
Joined: June 15 2006
Location: Canada
Status: Offline
Points: 169
|
Post Options
Thanks(0)
Quote Reply
Posted: December 04 2006 at 10:30pm |
O.k. I got that but ....... means that cases of bird flu could go unnoticed for some time, giving the virus a chance to spread.
How would that be If the carriers don't get sick? Do they have some sort of secret? This doen't happen with the Normal Flu, does it?
So many questions sorry.
|
Don't run from your past, learn from it!
|
|
Guests
Guest Group
|
Post Options
Thanks(0)
Quote Reply
Posted: December 04 2006 at 11:13pm |
I am sure it does happen with the normal flu. It is scary to think that it could be circulating unnoticed. I think I am going to just ignore that one because there is nothing I could do about it.
|
|
Guests
Guest Group
|
Post Options
Thanks(0)
Quote Reply
Posted: December 04 2006 at 11:20pm |
We know that 30% of the pop. had a natural protection from the plague...
they passed that on.
so this H5N1 not showing may be something similar. Like my kid brother never got chickenpox... same with my daughter. Rest of us did....
|
|
Guests
Guest Group
|
Post Options
Thanks(0)
Quote Reply
Posted: December 05 2006 at 3:35pm |
|
|
Judy
Valued Member
Joined: August 24 2006
Location: United States
Status: Offline
Points: 402
|
Post Options
Thanks(0)
Quote Reply
Posted: December 05 2006 at 7:15pm |
From what I understand, ducks can carry and spread a deadly form of H5N1 without showing symptoms. If I am incorrect, someone please let me know, but that was what I was led to believe previously. If this is true, why not pigs? Carriers do not necessarily give you a lesser form of disease; remember Typhoid Mary who was not ill at all yet passed this to others, some of whom died.
|
If ignorance is bliss, what is chocolate?
|
|
Guests
Guest Group
|
Post Options
Thanks(0)
Quote Reply
Posted: December 06 2006 at 4:42am |
China Pig Fever Outbreak .....................
Archive Number |
20061129.3387 |
Published Date |
29-NOV-2006 |
Subject |
PRO/AH/EDR> Undiagnosed disease, porcine - China (04) | UNDIAGNOSED DISEASE, PORCINE - CHINA (04)
*******************************************
A ProMED-mail post
<http://www.promedmail.org>
ProMED-mail is a program of the
International Society for Infectious Diseases
<http://www.isid.org>
Date: Tue 28 Nov 2006
From: ProMED-mail <promed@promedmail.org>
Source: Agriculture Online [edited]
<http://www.agriculture.com/ag/story.jhtml?storyid=/templatedata/ag/story/data/1164735223274.xml&catref=ag1001#continue>
"Pig Fever" is sweeping through the expanding Chinese swine industry,
according to swine veterinarians who have traveled there this fall
[2006].
University of Nottingham, England swine veterinarians Steven McOrist
and Stan Done observed the outbreak firsthand during a recent visit
to China's swine veterinary centers.
China's hog industry is "rapidly consolidating" on a scale similar to
that in the U.S., McOrist says. This includes the segmentation of
farrowing and finishing, with 500- to 1000-head sow barns and
"routine off-site finishing" popping up around Chinese cities.
Comprising a possible combination of Porcine Reproductive and
Respiratory Syndrome (PRRS), Porcine circovirus type 2 (PCV2) and
other diseases, this year's "Pig Fever" outbreak has swept through
this growing number of Chinese finishing facilities, resulting in
more than one million culls.
"Clinical signs were predominant in finishers and consisted of
lethargy, reduced or loss of appetite, high fever and deaths, with
occasional coughing only. Pigs and photos we examined also indicated
generalized blue skin discoloration in some affected pigs," McOrist
says. "Diagnostic tests we assessed from reliable centers showed
active PRRS and PCV2 infections, with common secondary _Pasteurella_
infections. Many of the affected farms were also positive for hog
cholera infections."
The presence of other disease pathogens in general could have created
conditions favorable for the development of a more severe strain of
PRRS, McOrist adds.
"One likely situation is that a more acute and lethal form of PRRS,
not unlike the previous SAMS (Swine Abortion and Mortality Syndrome)
outbreaks in the U.S.A., has now emerged in China, and this is the
published suggestion of the Chinese authorities," he says. "It is
also possible that 'normal' PRDC (Porcine Respiratory Disease
Complex) and PCVAD outbreaks on affected farms had become complicated
by active hog cholera."
Controls have been introduced in an effort to control the outbreak
that has claimed more than one million swine deaths in the past year.
McOrist urges heightened observation and intensive treatment for
swine populations where symptoms of porcine respiratory diseases are
observed.
"Control was being attempted through increased PRRS vaccinations, but
few other noteworthy suggestions were apparent," McOrist observes.
"[Swine practitioners and producers] are urged to be vigilant for
more lethal PRRS cases."
[Byline: Jeff Caldwell]
--
ProMED-mail
<promed@promedmail.org>
[For background, see moderator PC's commentary in 20060924.2732. - Mod.AS]
[see also:
Undiagnosed disease, porcine - China (03): OIE 20060924.2732
Undiagnosed disease, porcine - China (02): RFI 20060908.2549
Undiagnosed disease, porcine - China (South), RFI 20060903.2508]
............mpp/arn/msp/lmhttp://www.promedmail.org/pls/promed/f?p=2400:1000:18177227267227100590:::::
|
|
Guests
Guest Group
|
Post Options
Thanks(0)
Quote Reply
Posted: December 06 2006 at 5:58am |
More from China
Police rule out food poisoning in the deaths of 6 school children |
|
www.chinaview.cn 2006-12-06 21:10:03 |
PUXIAN, Shanxi, Dec. 6 (Xinhua) -- Police have ruled out food poisoning as the cause of death of six young pupils at boarding school in north China's Shanxi Province, a local official said Wednesday.
Two boys and four girls aged six to ten died Monday evening at a primary school of Nanyao Village, Puxian County, Linfen City.
Because they became violently ill it was first thought they had died of food poisoning.
After analysis of their vomit, food poisoning has been ruled out as a cause of death, Yang Zhiping, Party chief of Puxian, told Xinhua.
Police are carrying further tests and Yang refused to provide any other details or clues on how the children may have died.
Five other students in the 11-pupil school were transferred to a nearby school on Tuesday.
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2006-12/06/content_5445392.htm |
|
|
Guests
Guest Group
|
Post Options
Thanks(0)
Quote Reply
Posted: December 06 2006 at 8:45am |
Shadow,
Just thought of this. If the pigs are just carriers and are not dying why did the cull 1 million instead of just letting it run its course. You notice the new post about the school children in China. I wnat to keep an eye on that if I can (hard to do when china is not so forthcoming). Anyways, from what I understand the 1918 flu started with birds, went to pigs and then to humans. There also was sudden deaths-kids in China? I know it is stretching putting everything in a row like that.
|
|
Guests
Guest Group
|
Post Options
Thanks(0)
Quote Reply
Posted: December 06 2006 at 2:08pm |
Judy wrote:
From what I understand, ducks can carry and spread a deadly form of H5N1 without showing symptoms. If I am incorrect, someone please let me know, but that was what I was led to believe previously. If this is true, why not pigs? Carriers do not necessarily give you a lesser form of disease; remember Typhoid Mary who was not ill at all yet passed this to others, some of whom died. |
Yes this was documented by the WHO
|
|
Guests
Guest Group
|
Post Options
Thanks(0)
Quote Reply
Posted: December 06 2006 at 4:17pm |
Texas has feral pigs everywhere. Neighbor shoots pig, dog brings home pigs' feet and eats them and who knows what else. Dog comes inside, I guess he could infect the whole family breathing on us, I just don't know.
|
|
Guests
Guest Group
|
Post Options
Thanks(0)
Quote Reply
Posted: December 06 2006 at 4:18pm |
7laws wrote:
Anyways, from what I understand the 1918 flu started with birds, went to pigs and then to humans. There also was sudden deaths-kids in China? I know it is stretching putting everything in a row like that. |
I'm stretching right along with you. Everything is starting to get interesting with the key elements of a pandemic all starting to line up nicely. We are in flu season with multiple vectors and along with agencies who I would expect to be in the know all seem to be ramping up their efforts as if they do know something that we don't know yet.
|
|
Shadow
Adviser Group
Joined: June 15 2006
Location: Canada
Status: Offline
Points: 169
|
Post Options
Thanks(0)
Quote Reply
Posted: December 06 2006 at 4:33pm |
Yes, this does seem to line up in a neat little row!
I didn't know anything about china's children falling ill before this hit in 1918. Do you have some reading on this, 7laws?
I think your right Cruiser, agencies do seem a little unwound.
|
Don't run from your past, learn from it!
|
|
Guests
Guest Group
|
Post Options
Thanks(0)
Quote Reply
Posted: December 06 2006 at 5:21pm |
Shadow,
It wasn't necessarily just children. There were people of all ages that caught the flu and died in about an hour or two. I don't think it was that common, but common enough to be remembered.
|
|
Guests
Guest Group
|
Post Options
Thanks(0)
Quote Reply
Posted: December 06 2006 at 5:23pm |
Shadow,
Also, I think the children are more likely to catch the flu simply because they don't remember to wash their hands and are more likely to make a mistake like rubbing their eyes with dirty hands.
|
|
Shadow
Adviser Group
Joined: June 15 2006
Location: Canada
Status: Offline
Points: 169
|
Post Options
Thanks(0)
Quote Reply
Posted: December 06 2006 at 5:44pm |
Oh I see Thank you. So, we're on the look out...as always.
|
Don't run from your past, learn from it!
|
|
Guests
Guest Group
|
Post Options
Thanks(0)
Quote Reply
Posted: December 12 2006 at 11:11pm |
Anything new on the pig fever?
|
|
Guests
Guest Group
|
Post Options
Thanks(0)
Quote Reply
Posted: December 12 2006 at 11:16pm |
Uhh, guess we know why they killed all those pigs. Old article, but I don't remember seeing it here.
China alerts farmers to pig fever |
Authorities in the Chinese province of Sichuan have begun a campaign to tell farmers about the dangers of a swine disease that has killed 32 people.
Officials have distributed posters warning farmers not to eat sick animals and to alert the authorities if their livestock becomes infected.
Meanwhile, the infection has spread to five more cities across the province.
There are now 163 human cases blamed on streptococcus suis, which was first found in people in the area in June.
The disease has occurred near cities including Ziyang and Neijiang, but it has now spread to Chengdu and four other Sichuan cities.
State media says the pig disease is under control, but the authorities have banned independent reporting on the outbreak.
The BBC's Nick Mackie in neighbouring Chongqing says foreign journalists found speaking to people are detained, and their notes and recordings erased; no official interviews are granted.
Detentions
More than 2 million notices have been issued in affected areas, the China Daily reported.
The disease took three weeks to identify |
About 50,000 health workers have been sent to inspect and register pigs, and authorities have set up temporary quarantine stations to stop dead animals from reaching markets, Reuters news agency reports.
Sichuan is China's largest pig centre, producing over 50m swine annually.
Most cases have occurred in poor villages, where it is common for locals to butcher and eat sick animals rather than send the swine to market.
The bacterium streptococcus suis survives in faeces, dust and carcasses.
Many villages across the affected region knew nothing about the crisis until they had their first deaths, our correspondent says.
The head of the animal disease control unit of a neighbouring pig-producing county only learned of the crisis from the newspapers on 25 July.
The way the current crisis is being handled does little to inspire trust in the authorities' capabilities or willingness to be open with the facts, our correspondent says. |
|
|
HoosierMom
Valued Member
Joined: June 15 2006
Status: Offline
Points: 334
|
Post Options
Thanks(0)
Quote Reply
Posted: December 13 2006 at 2:21am |
State media says the pig disease is under control, but the authorities have banned independent reporting on the outbreak.
Gee this is soooo unlike the Chinese authorities.
Does anyone else remember Sichuan Sheet ? I wish I had started taking notes months ago on some of the info posted here.
Thanks 7laws for the post.
|
|