I take it back. There is disease news to disseminate from the road.
Officials in China have confirmed that the microbe causing the mysterious epidemic in Guangdong, in which 300 pigs have died, has been identified. According to the Xin Hua news agency, it’s apparently a common pig illness called ‘blue-eared pig disease’. The People’s Daily reports that:
The PRRS virus entered China from overseas in the mid 1990’s and has recently shown signs of mutation. It cannot spread from animals to people and is said to be under control in the district.
Tests for the disease are available, and a vaccine against the disease has received State approval and is to be distributed soon, said the statement.
Meanwhile, Yang Weixin, head of Silao Town, where most of the pig deaths occurred, denied overseas media reports that more than 80 percent of the 10,000 pigs in the area had died.
He said the pigs produced there were mostly consumed locally. Media reports said sales of pork in the affected area had dropped significantly since the outbreak.
For those of you more interested in epidemiology – like myself – you can find out more about the disease from this veterinary site:
Hmmm, your site came up when I typed in “naked asci” in google images. Do you like mushrooms?