Human death toll from pig disease rises to 24 in southwest China

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Time is GMT + 8 hours

Posted: 27 July 2005 1053 hrs

 

Human death toll from pig disease rises to 24 in

southwest China

 

BEIJING - A disease caused by bacteria from pigs has

affected more than 100 people in southwest China, with

the death toll rising to 24, the health ministry said

Wednesday.

 

At least another 21 patients were in critical

condition, it said.

 

As of noon Tuesday, Sichuan province reported 117

people had been stricken with the disease, which is

caused by an infection of the streptococcus suis

bacteria, spread among pigs, the ministry said on its

website.

 

Of the total affected, 76 cases have been confirmed,

while 41 were suspected cases, the ministry said. Only

five patients have recovered and left the hospital so

far.

 

The disease, which broke out last month in the Sichuan

cities of Ziyang and Neijiang, has proved so deadly

that about a third of the 76 confirmed cases have

died.

 

People became stricken with the disease from

slaughtering or processing infected pigs, the ministry

said, while noting that no human-to-human infection

had been found.

 

On Tuesday, China had reported only 19 deaths among a

total of 80 people affected, with 67 confirmed and 13

suspected cases.

 

An emergency investigation by a group of experts

organised by the ministries of health and agriculture

found that the farmers infected had all slaughtered

pigs found to have the disease, the China Daily had

reported.

 

Symptoms of the disease included high fever, nausea,

vomiting and haemorrhaging. Many of the patients go

into severe shock.

 

The disease is rare with the first recorded case found

in Denmark in 1968. More than 200 cases of human

infection have been reported globally since then.

 

To prevent the disease from spreading, pork exports

from the affected cities have been halted, Hong Kong's

Health, Welfare and Food Bureau said.

 

Hong Kong imports 30,000 tonnes of frozen pork from

Sichuan province annually, although officials insisted

there was no need to ban pork imports from other

Chinese cities and inspection procedures were

sufficient. - AFP/ir