July 25, 2005

Pig bacteria suspected in China's 17 deaths

A mysterious illness that has caused the deaths of 17 farmers and left 12 others in critical conditions on Jul 24 in China's Sichuan province, is most likely from a bacteria typically spread by pigs, Chinese authorities said.

China¡'s Health Department officials are denying that the unknown disease is Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS), anthrax, or bird flu despite the initial symptoms: fever, nausea, vomiting and haemorrhaging. It's more likely to be from streptococcus suis, a bacteria transmitted by pigs, they said.

58 people had the symptoms by Jul 23 and a special team has been sent to Sichuan to investigate and control a possible outbreak.

However, the Health Department assured that the disease could not spread among humans, while only those with a weak immune system would became ill.

The WHO also said that there was no sign of a massive outbreak of the unknown disease, despite the outbreak's mysterious nature.

Hong Kong's two main supermarkets have suspended sales of frozen pork from Sichuan. Hospitals there are also now on high alert for people with systems such as fever, nausea and vomiting.