April 12, 2006

 

Dead pigs discovered in eastern China

 

 

Scores of dead pigs have been found in a river in eastern China, but the cause of the deaths was unclear, a Hong Kong newspaper said Tuesday (Apr 11).

 

The carcasses were found in the neighbouring provinces of Jiangsu and Zhejiang over the last three months, causing health experts to worry that an outbreak of a disease might be killing the animals, the Apple Daily said.

 

Some 161 pigs were found in two areas in the Fujiang river in Zhejiang, the newspaper said. Health authorities in Hangzhou, the provincial capital, were investigating where the pigs came from and what caused their deaths, it said.

 

Officials were also worried the pigs might contaminate the river, which is a water source for several cities, it said.

 

Provincial health and government officials telephoned Tuesday said they were "unclear" about the situation.

 

The report said dead pigs had been discovered in Zhenjiang, a city in Jiangsu, since Mar 13. An agriculture and forestry bureau official in Zhenjiang said dead swine had been found in the city but said their carcasses "had been treated properly". He gave only his surname, Bian, and refused to give any more details.

 

According to Dr Noureddin Mona, the Beijing-based representative for the UN Food and Agriculture Organization, China's Agriculture Ministry told his agency it was investigating the report but gave no details.

 

A man who answered the telephone at the ministry said he could not confirm the report and hung up.

 

Microbiologist Samson Wong of the University of Hong Kong said Tuesday both the foot-and-mouth virus and Streptococcus suis, a bacteria commonly found in pigs, can cause pig deaths in large numbers, but that other diseases are also suspected.

 

He said water polluted with dead pigs would not pose a health risk if boiled.