Aug 20, 2007, 9:44 GMT
Beijing - A deadly disease spreading among pigs in China is caused by a new variant of the blue-ear virus, China's top veterinary official said Monday.
Jia Youling, director of the veterinary office in China's Agriculture Ministry, said the current form of the virus is more deadly and contagious than the blue-ear virus initially discovered in China in the 1990s.
That original virus had affected only sows and piglets, but the virus is now striking boars, he said.
The blue-ear virus has swept through 26 of China's 33 provinces and regions, but veterinary officials and farmers are fighting back with immunizations and culls, Jia said in Beijing.
The disease has caused numerous pig deaths and has driven up pork prices in the world's largest pork producer, but Jia said a vaccine had already been developed and 12 factories were now producing it.
Chinese officials have put the number of blue-ear cases among the country's 500 million pigs - half the world's population - at 156,000 in the past three months, but unconfirmed reports said millions have died.
The quickly spreading disease has also hit Vietnam, affecting seven of the country's 64 provinces.
Although the disease is not transmissible to humans, according to the UN's Food and Agriculture Organization, the people of China have been affected by skyrocketing prices for a staple of the Chinese diet. The cost of pork has risen 75 per cent in June from the same month a year earlier.
Blue-ear disease, also known as porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome, usually produces elevated temperatures, lethargy and reduced appetite in breeding sows. Bruising may also occur, sometimes giving their ears a blue appearance. The disease is also often deadly in piglets and raises the incidence of premature births, stillbirths and weak piglets. Pigs also appear to be more susceptible to secondary infections.
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