China's Ministries of Health and Agriculture are closely
monitoring the series of swine virus infections that has so far
claimed 19 lives and left another 17 people critically ill in
southwest China's Sichuan
Province.
The ministries have reported the situation to the World Health
Organization (WHO), the UN Food and Agricultural Organization and
health authorities in Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan, the Ministry of
Health (MOH) said on Monday.
A preliminary probe showed that the as-yet unknown infections
were caused by a kind of swine virus, Streptococosis II.
By Monday, the province had a reported 80 cases of infection,
including 67 confirmed and 13 suspected cases. 19 people have so
far been reported dead and 17 are in critical condition. Four have
been discharged from hospital, according to the MOH.
Victims were from 75 villages in 40 townships in cities and
counties including Ziyang City, Jianyang City, Lezhi County and
Zizhong County in Neijiang City.
All had had direct contact with ill or dead pigs before showing
symptoms of infection, experts said.
The patients first reported symptoms of fever, weakness and
sickness, and then got symptoms of endemic bleeding and shock.
Their white blood cell counts also soared as the infection set
in.
Infection numbers continue to rise but cases are dispersed in
with no obvious signs of epidemic-type infections. No evidence has
been found that the disease can spread among human beings, the MOH
said.
Swine streptococosis was first discovered in the 1950s and has
been reported in many countries including France, Denmark, the
United States and Canada.
(Xinhua News Agency July 26, 2005)
(Xinhua News Agency July 26, 2005)
