June 5, 2007

China braces for peak season for blue ear disease

China's Ministry of Agriculture on Tuesday warned the country's pig breeders on the oncoming of the peak season for blue-ear disease, also known as Porcine Reproductive and Respiratory Syndrome (PRRS).

Official estimates put the number of pigs killed by the disease at 18,000 this year, although analysts have speculated the figure would have been much higher. 

Between January and May, 45,000 pigs contracted the disease, mainly in south China's Guangdong Province and Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region.

A dozen factories are churning out new-type vaccines for the disease, under the supervision of China's Veterinary Medicine Supervisory Institution. The ministry has instructed affected regions to implement all disease control measures to prevent the infection from spreading.

Pig breeders have been ordered to establish a nationwide immunization system, which covers disinfection and proper treatment of dead animals and of their excrement.

The ministry is also establishing a central monitoring system for signs of PRRS virus mutations, which should be completed by the end of June.

The outbreaks have caused pork prices to climb in many major cities in China and thus stoked inflation in the country.