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  • Mystery disease kills pigs in Southern China: press

    Mystery disease kills pigs in Southern China: press

    Mon May 7, 2007 5:57AM BST
    HONG KONG (Reuters) - A mysterious disease has killed thousands of pigs in China's southern Guangdong province and authorities have disinfected affected farms, markets and abattoirs, several Hong Kong newspapers reported on Monday.
    The outbreak began around early April in Silao town, where the animals stopped eating, developed high fevers and started hemorrhaging under their skin.
    The disease has since spread to nearby towns, they reported. Its cause is unknown.
    Beijing-backed Ta Kung Pao quoted officials in nearby Yunfu city confirming that more than 300 pigs had died in Silao town.
    Some of the carcasses were hurled into rivers and that may have been responsible for the spread of the disease to surrounding areas, other newspapers reported, with some estimating total losses at more than 3,000 animals.
    Faced with heavy financial losses, some farmers have hastily sold sick pigs at reduced prices, the Apple Daily reported.


  • #2
    Re: Mystery disease kills pigs in Southern China: press

    A mysterious pig epidemic is spreading in south China's Guangdong province and has killed more than 300 of the animals.

    The Hong Kong-based Ta Kung Pao newspaper reports the disease was first found in Silao town about 10 days ago as pigs stopped eating, developed fevers and started haemorrhaging.

    Local authorities have disinfected tainted farms and markets and banned the transportation and butchering of pigs in infected areas.

    The disease, which is highly infectious, has caused a panic in the local areas as residents stopped buying pork for fear of eating tainted meat.

    Experts have said there was no risk the disease could spread to human beings.


    Comment


    • #3
      Re: Mystery disease kills pigs in Southern China: press

      Concerns raised on China's global health disclosures
      By Keith Bradsher
      Monday, May 7, 2007
      <SCRIPT language=JavaScript type=text/javascript>if ((!document.images && navigator.userAgent.indexOf('Mozilla/2.') >= 0)|| navigator.userAgent.indexOf("WebTV") >= 0) {document.write('');}</SCRIPT> <NOSCRIPT></NOSCRIPT>
      <!-- end mpu -->
      HONG KONG: The international and Hong Kong authorities said Monday that they had received little information from mainland Chinese officials about a mysterious ailment killing pigs in southeastern China or about Chinese wheat gluten contaminated with plastic scrap, raising questions again about whether Beijing is willing to share data on global health issues.
      The Chinese government, and particularly the government of Guangdong Province, next to Hong Kong, suffered heavy criticism in 2003 after concealing the SARS virus for the first four months after it first emerged in Foshan, 150 kilometers, or 95 miles, northwest of Hong Kong. After SARS spread to Hong Kong and around the world, top Chinese officials promised to improve disclosure.
      But officials in Hong Kong as well as at the World Health Organization and the Food and Agriculture Organization said Monday that they had received practically no information about the latest pig deaths and limited details about wheat gluten contamination.
      Because pigs can catch many of the same diseases as people, notably bird flu, the WHO and the Food and Agriculture Organization maintain global networks to track and investigate unexplained patterns of pig deaths. State-controlled media in China have carried a few reports on the wheat gluten problem but almost nothing on the pig deaths.
      A man answering the phones at the city government of Gaoyao, located 230 kilometers to the northwest of Hong Kong, confirmed late Monday afternoon that pigs were dying there. The man declined to give his name.
      Hong Kong media were full of lurid accounts Monday of pigs staggering around with blood pouring from their bodies in Gaoyao and neighboring Yunfu, both in Guangdong Province. Apple, a daily newspaper here, said that up to 80 percent of the pigs had died in the area, that peasants were engaged in panic selling of ailing animals at deep discounts and that pig carcasses were floating down the river.
      Dr. Kwok Ka-ki, the medical community's representative in Hong Kong's Legislative Council, said that the Chinese government needed to share information fully about the pig deaths, in particular with the Chinese public as well as with Hong Kong, which Britain returned to China in 1997.
      "They definitely need to tell the public but also people in the city as to the extent of the outbreak, how is the disease being controlled and the impact on public health," he said. "It would help a lot to relieve the worry, and it would help the rest of China to fight the disease."
      There have been no reports of people becoming ill from the disease. But the SARS experience has left Hong Kong with lasting jitters about mysterious diseases in mainland China, and the media reports fostered considerable concern here.
      "It's very scary," said Allen Lee, a longtime senior politician who is now a television talk show host.
      Medical experts said that the extent of the reported bleeding from the pigs, including bloody skin lesions, did not sound like common symptoms of bird flu, but added that the pig deaths needed to be investigated. Because pigs can be infected with many avian and human influenza viruses, the most popular scientific model for how avian influenza viruses cause pandemics in humans is that human and avian influenza viruses exchange genetic material when they infect a pig at the same time.
      Monday was the last day of the weeklong May Day holiday in China, so most government and business offices were closed. But Hong Kong media reported that pigs had begun dying in Yunfu after Chinese New Year celebrations in February, although it was only recently that the disease had begun spreading.
      The Hong Kong Food and Environmental Hygiene Department officials said Monday that the Guangdong authorities had told them only that no live pigs were being shipped from the Yunfu and Gaoyao area to Hong Kong.
      A spokesman for the Hong Kong Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department said that there were no signs of suspicious deaths among pigs in Hong Kong, and referred questions about pigs in Guangdong to the food department.
      Both departments said last week in written responses to questions that they were not testing wheat gluten imported to Hong Kong for melamine scrap. The presence of melamine in pet food has been linked to the deaths of as many as 4,000 cats and dogs in the United States, and prompted the culling of chickens that ate contaminated feed.
      Hong Kong officials expressed surprise Monday when told that the official Xinhua press agency had briefly reported a month ago that the mainland had begun nationwide testing of wheat gluten for melamine. Animal feed dealers in northeastern China said late last month that the two main destinations for feed mixed with melamine had been the Yangtze delta region near Shanghai and the Pearl River delta region near Hong Kong.

      Comment


      • #4
        Re: Mystery disease kills pigs in Southern China: press

        my first thought is, whether this could be related to the
        "pig high fever desease" which we were talking about last year
        and which killed millions of pigs in Southern China.
        I wished, Mingus were here.
        I'm interested in expert panflu damage estimates
        my current links: http://bit.ly/hFI7H ILI-charts: http://bit.ly/CcRgT

        Comment


        • #5
          Re: Mystery disease kills pigs in Southern China: press

          Commentary at

          Comment


          • #6
            Re: Mystery disease kills pigs in Southern China: press

            <TABLE class=ap-story-table border=0><TBODY><TR class=ap-story-tr><TD class=ap-story-td>May 6, 11:13 PM EDT


            Reports: Unidentified illness kills more than 300 pigs in southern China

            </TD></TR><TR><TD>HONG KONG (AP) -- An unidentified animal illness has spread in two southern Chinese cities, infecting at least 1,300 pigs and killing more than 300, Hong Kong newspapers reported Monday. No human infections have been reported.
            The illness started killing pigs in Yunfu city in southern Guangdong province in early April, eventually claiming the lives of more than 300 of the animals, the Ming Pao Daily News reported, citing government statistics.
            The Apple Daily newspaper said the illness killed 80 percent of the pig population in Yunfu.
            The Ming Pao said more than 1,000 pigs in nearby Gaoyao city have fallen ill since late April, with some dying.
            Apple Daily said symptoms of the unidentified disease included loss of appetite, high fever and bleeding.
            The newspaper said the disease had been spread by people dumping dead pigs by the dozens into rivers. The Ming Pao ran a photo showing a bloated pig in a river infested by flies.
            The Wen Wei Po newspaper quoted an unidentified local official as saying that animal experts have ruled out a disease that can cross over to humans, but have not diagnosed the illness.
            "Provincial experts have taken back samples. Authoritative results haven't come out yet," the official reportedly said.
            Calls to Guangdong's health and agricultural departments and the Yunfu city government either went unanswered or rang busy.
            A man who answered the phone at the Gaoyao city government denied that a pig illness had surfaced, or that any pigs had died for unusual reasons. The man refused to give his name.

            </TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
            http://tinyurl.com/32o8z5
            CSI:WORLD http://swineflumagazine.blogspot.com/

            treyfish2004@yahoo.com

            Comment


            • #7
              Re: Mystery disease kills pigs in Southern China: press

              could this have anything to do with the BF virus......?

              Comment


              • #8
                Re: Mystery disease kills pigs in Southern China: press

                Vinny,
                from post #3 above:
                Because pigs can catch many of the same diseases as people, notably bird flu, the WHO and the Food and Agriculture Organization maintain global networks to track and investigate unexplained patterns of pig deaths.

                Medical experts said that the extent of the reported bleeding from the pigs, including bloody skin lesions, did not sound like common symptoms of bird flu, but added that the pig deaths needed to be investigated. Because pigs can be infected with many avian and human influenza viruses, the most popular scientific model for how avian influenza viruses cause pandemics in humans is that human and avian influenza viruses exchange genetic material when they infect a pig at the same time.

                Comment


                • #9
                  Re: Mystery disease kills pigs in Southern China: press

                  Originally posted by vinny View Post
                  could this have anything to do with the BF virus......?
                  many pandemic virusis have originated in china in the past vinny,this is a reason why people are so concerned about this incident ,china are very secretive also,they kept imformation about SARS virus four 3~4 mounths allowing it to spead. history tends to repeat itself lets hope the pandemic doesnt start in china!

                  Comment


                  • #10
                    Re: Mystery disease kills pigs in Southern China: press

                    i have always thought that china has been hiding or covering up whichever way you prefer to say it,has somehow been covering up BF cases,im not saying they could cover up a pandemic strain at least i dont think they could,but i think they have had a lot more cases of human BF than what theyve ever told us,and i hope this isnt the start of something more bigger than anyone could possibly hope to cope with.

                    Comment


                    • #11
                      Re: Mystery disease kills pigs in Southern China: press

                      me too vinny

                      Comment


                      • #12
                        Re: Mystery disease kills pigs in Southern China: press

                        May 7, 2007

                        <NYT_HEADLINE version="1.0" type=" ">Epidemic Is Killing Pigs in Southeastern China </NYT_HEADLINE>

                        <NYT_BYLINE version="1.0" type=" ">By KEITH BRADSHER
                        </NYT_BYLINE><NYT_TEXT>HONG KONG, May 7 ? A mysterious epidemic is killing pigs in southeastern China, but international and Hong Kong authorities said today that the Chinese government is providing little information about it, or about the contaminated wheat gluten that has caused deaths and illnesses in other animals.
                        The lack of even basic details is reviving longstanding questions about whether China is willing to share information about health and food safety issues with potential global implications.
                        The Chinese government ? and particularly the government of Guangdong Province, which is adjacent to Hong Kong ? was criticized in 2003 for concealing information about the SARS virus for the first four months after it emerged in Foshan, 95 miles northwest of Hong Kong. After SARS spread to Hong Kong and around the world, top Chinese officials promised to improve disclosure.
                        But officials in Hong Kong as well as at the World Health Organization and the Food and Agriculture Organization, both agencies of the United Nations, said today that they been told almost nothing about the latest pig deaths, and been given limited details about wheat gluten contamination.
                        Because pigs can catch many of the same diseases as people, including bird flu, the two U.N. agencies maintain global networks to track and investigate unexplained patterns of pig deaths.
                        Hong Kong television broadcasts and newspapers were full of lurid accounts today of pigs staggering around with blood pouring from their bodies in Gaoyao and neighboring Yunfu, both in Guangdong Province. The Apple Daily newspaper said that as many as 80 percent of the pigs in the area had died, that panicky farmers were selling ailing animals at deep discounts and that pig carcasses were floating in a river.
                        The reports in Hong Kong said the disease began killing pigs after the Chinese New Year celebrations in February, and is now spreading. But state-controlled news outlets in China have reported almost nothing about the pig deaths, and very little about the wheat gluten problem.
                        A man answering the phone at the city government offices in Gaoyao, 140 miles northwest of Hong Kong, confirmed late this afternoon that pigs were dying there. He declined to give his name.
                        Dr. Kwok Ka-ki, a surgeon who represents the medical profession in Hong Kong?s legislature, said that the Chinese government should share all pig-death information with the Chinese public and with the city of Hong Kong, which Britain returned to Chinese control in 1997.
                        ?They definitely need to tell the public, but also people in the city, as to the extent of the outbreak, how is the disease being controlled and the impact on public health,? he said. ?It would help a lot to relieve the worry, and it would help the rest of China to fight the disease.?
                        There have been no reports of people becoming ill from the disease. But the SARS experience has left Hong Kong with lasting jitters about mysterious diseases in mainland China.
                        Medical experts said that the extent of the bleeding from the pigs, including reports of bloody skin lesions, did not sound like the usual symptoms of bird flu, but added that the pig deaths nonetheless needed to be investigated.
                        Two spokeswomen for the Hong Kong Food and Environmental Hygiene Department said that the Guangdong authorities had told the department only that no live pigs were being shipped from the Yunfu and Gaoyao area to Hong Kong.
                        A spokesman for the Hong Kong Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department said that there were no signs of suspicious deaths among Hong Kong?s pigs, and referred questions about pigs in Guangdong to the food department.
                        Both departments said last week, in written responses to questions, that they were not testing wheat gluten imported from the mainland for the presence of melamine scrap, a residue from the manufacture of a chemical used in plastics production. The presence of melamine scrap in pet food has been linked to the deaths of as many as 4,000 cats and dogs in the United States, and prompted the culling of chickens that ate contaminated feed.
                        Hong Kong officials expressed surprise today when they were told that the official Xinhua news agency mentioned a month ago that the mainland had begun nationwide testing of wheat gluten for melamine. Animal-feed dealers in northeastern China said late last month that the two main destinations for feed mixed with melamine had been the Yangtze delta region near Shanghai and the Pearl River delta region near Hong Kong.
                        China has allowed American regulators to visit the country and begin investigating the wheat gluten problem, after initially declining to issue them visas.


                        <NYT_UPDATE_BOTTOM></NYT_UPDATE_BOTTOM>
                        </NYT_TEXT>

                        Comment


                        • #13
                          Re: Mystery disease kills pigs in Southern China: press

                          They have the story too. http://hisz.rsoe.hu/alertmap/woalert_read.php?cid=11219&cat=dis&lang=eng <TABLE cellSpacing=3 cellPadding=3 width=996 border=0><TBODY><TR><TD> An unidentified animal illness has spread in two southern Chinese cities, infecting at least 1,300 pigs and killing more than 300. No human infections have been reported. The illness started killing pigs in Yunfu city in southern Guangdong province in early April, eventually claiming the lives of more than 300 of the animals, the Ming Pao Daily News newspaper reported, citing government statistics. The illness killed 80 per cent of the pig population in Yunfu. The Ming Pao said more than 1,000 pigs in nearby Gaoyao city have fallen ill since late April, with some dying. Apple Daily said symptoms of the unidentified disease included loss of appetite, high fever and bleeding. The newspaper said the disease had been spread by people dumping dead pigs by the dozens into rivers. The Ming Pao ran a photo showing a bloated pig in a river infested with flies. The Wen Wei Po newspaper quoted an unidentified local official saying animal experts have ruled out a disease that can cross over to humans but have not diagnosed the illness. "Provincial experts have taken back samples. Authoritative results haven't come out yet," the official said. Calls to Guangdong's health and agricultural departments and the Yunfu city government either went unanswered or rang busy. A man who answered the phone at the Gaoyao city government denied a pig illness had surfaced, or that any pigs had died for unusual reasons. The man refused to give his name. ) </TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>HERE IS THE MAP http://hisz.rsoe.hu/alertmap/woalert...t=dis&lang=eng
                          CSI:WORLD http://swineflumagazine.blogspot.com/

                          treyfish2004@yahoo.com

                          Comment


                          • #14
                            Re: Mystery disease kills pigs in Southern China: press

                            Calls to Guangdong's health and agricultural departments and the Yunfu city government either went unanswered or rang busy. A man who answered the phone at the Gaoyao city government denied a pig illness had surfaced, or that any pigs had died for unusual reasons. The man refused to give his name. )

                            same story that treyfish just posted:

                            Comment


                            • #15
                              Re: Mystery disease kills pigs in Southern China: press

                              Interestingly enough, nothing from Boxun

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