Mystery Pig disease spreads through China
Pastor Dale Morgan
Mystery Pig disease spreads through China*
by Staff Writers
Beijing (AFP) Sept 2, 2007
A mysterious disease affecting China's pork-raising industry has spread,
and officials have ramped up vaccine output to cope with a "grim"
situation, state media reported.
More than 257,000 pigs had been infected with the epidemic, known as
blue-eared pig disease, by late August, with 68,000 of them dying,
official Xinhua news agency said late Saturday.
Experts quoted in the Western media have expressed doubts about the
official figures, suspecting the government is trying to keep a lid on a
more serious crisis.
Xinhua quoted a top official as saying more than 100 million pigs had
been immunised, but that control efforts faced severe challenges.
"The disease control situation remained grim because the breeding
methods in some regions lag behind other regions and long-distance pig
deliveries were adding to the hidden trouble," it quoted Vice
Agriculture Minister Yin Chengjie as saying.
He said the situation was exacerbated in the vast Yangtze River basin by
a warm and wet summer, which has created conditions conducive to
spreading the disease, also known as porcine reproductive and
respiratory syndrome.
China will increase monthly production of a vaccine for the disease to
300,000 litres (79,000 gallons) in September, up from a previous
250,000, Yin told Xinhua.
The spread of the disease, which first appeared earlier this year, has
emerged as a major health concern for the government and has been blamed
for contributing to a sharp spike in prices of pork, a staple of the
Chinese diet.