May 9, 2007

China urges farmers to vaccinate their pigs as disease rages in Guangdong

China's Ministry of Agriculture Tuesday ( May 9) ordered pork farmers to carry out mass vaccinations after a mysterious outbreak killed hundreds of pigs in two regions in Guangdong province.

The ministry called on vaccinations for swine fever, pig rash and swine pneumonia

It also alerted animal medical factories to increase production of medicines.

According to official figures, up to 300 pigs in Guangdong province died over the last 10 days from a mystery disease.

The pigs stopped eating, developed fevers and begin haemorrhaging, the New Express paper reported. 

Township authorities where the disease occurred denied reports that up to 80 percent of the area's pigs had died and said the disease was under control.