Pig-borne endemic in SW China brought under control: official
(Xinhua)
Updated: 2005-08-21 21:54

BEIJING, August 21 (Xinhua) -- The Chinese ministries of health and agriculture said Sunday swine streptococosis endemic that took place in southwest China's Sichuan Province has been identified and brought under control.

According to a report released Sunday by the two ministries, there has been no extra human cases reported since August 4.

It says the disease in Sichuan, which erupted in "a number of" poor, remote rural areas in the province, was caused by a kind of bacterium known as swine streptococosis II.

The report,entitled "Evaluation of the Epidemic Situation of Streptococosis in Sichuan Province", was based on lab checks and epidemic investigations.

The channel through which the disease spread has also been identified, according to the report.

It has been reported by the ministries to the World Health Organization, the UN Food and Agricultural Organization and health authorities of Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan.

A total of 204 human cases were reported as of the noon of August 4, says the report.

No extra case has been reported in the past 16 consecutive days from August 4 to 20.

The 204 cases include 38 deaths, 20 people still hospitalized, and 146 discharged from hospital, according to the report.

Previous media reports said the patients came from 75 villages in 40 townships in cities and counties including the cities of Ziyang and Jianyang, the counties of Lezhi and Zizhong in Neijiang City.

All the patients had direct contact with ill or dead pigs before showing symptoms, said experts.

The patients first reported symptoms of fever, weakness and sickness, and then got symptoms of endemic bleeding and shock.

Judging from the symptoms and tests of the dead pigs, experts reached the preliminary conclusion that the disease was caused by swine streptococosis II.

Swine streptococosis was first spotted in the 1950s and has been reported in many countries including France, Denmark, the United States and Canada.

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