November 8, 2007

New vaccines take blue ear disease under control in China

Thanks to a locally-developed vaccine, blue ear disease is now being brought under control in China, the country's Ministry of Agriculture (MOA) said Wednesday (November 7).

Beginning last year until October 25, 992,000 pigs died from the disease while another 310,000 pigs survived infection. By contrast, 992,000 pigs were killed for the whole of last year out of 3.79 million that contracted the disease, said MOA in a statement.

A total of 3,608 infected pigs were detected from October 1 to 25, down 87 percent from September, within 29 outbreaks, down 65 percent. The deaths amounted to 710, a drop of 91 percent from the previous month.

Almost one billion millilitres of vaccine has been distributed across the country, with few adverse reactions reported.

All vaccines put to market have passed compulsory safety tests and no infections were reported, MOA said.

Laboratory research and spot surveys revealed the vaccine, jointly developed by the Chinese Centre for Animal Disease Control and Prevention and the China Institute of Veterinary Drug Control, was "safe, effective and has a protection rate of 88.2 percent", it said.

Vaccines with a protection rate lower than 80 percent were banned, it said.

Late last month, Chinese police arrested the producers of fake vaccines that had allegedly caused an outbreak of the disease, also scientifically known as Porcine Reproductive and Respiratory Syndrome, in central Hubei Province, which led to losses of almost one million yuan (US$133,690).