CHINA: Swine flu cover-up -- China's stiff warning

Beijing vows to punish officials who attempt cover-ups while restricting press coverage of pig-borne disease

The Straits Times
Tuesday, August 2, 2005

China vowed yesterday to punish officials who falsify or delay reports on a deadly swine flu that has infected at least 198 people and killed 36, while Hong Kong's government adopted tough measures to guard against the disease.

Seventeen new infections of streptococcus suis bacteria and two new deaths were reported in China's south-western province of Sichuan, state television said yesterday.

It said the disease had struck 176 villages.

Beijing, which came under fire for covering up the Sars outbreak two years ago, insisted the pig-borne disease was under control.

The online edition of the official Xinhua news agency quoted a health official in Ziyang, where the outbreak was first reported in June, as saying the rates of new infections and deaths have fallen.

Media coverage of the outbreak has been restricted: Chinese reporters say they may no longer visit affected areas and newspapers have been told to publish Xinhua reports.

Still, the World Health Organisation (WHO) said in a statement that China has done a good job of supplying information on the epidemic and taken extensive steps to block further infections.

'In cases of negligence, attempted cover-ups, failure to report or delaying report that lead to serious consequences and great losses, the top person in charge will be held accountable,' the Beijing Evening News said, quoting a Sichuan government statement.

Sichuan's Livestock and Food Product Bureau has also set a similar policy for veterinarians, demanding that they respond rapidly to suspected infections and immediately report any confirmed new cases or be held responsible for the consequences, Xinhua said.

The Chinese authorities say all those taken ill in Sichuan had slaughtered, handled or eaten infected pigs.

They stress that there has been no human-to-human transmission of the bacteria.

China plans to produce enough vaccine to inoculate 10 million pigs and on Sunday sent a first batch of doses, enough for 350,000 animals, to the provincial capital, Chengdu, where infections have also been reported.

In all, nine Sichuan cities, including Ziyang, Jianyang and Neijiang, have reported cases of the disease.

But a microbiologist from Sichuan University said the disease might not have originated in Ziyang, since similar cases were also reported in southern Guangdong province and Hong Kong.

According to Professor Li Mingyuan, streptococcus suis thrives in temperatures around 37 deg C and is endemic among pigs.

It could have mutated under the hot weather conditions and infected the farmers who came into direct contact with the sick pigs, the Wen Wei Po reported him as saying.

Hong Kong's health chief York Chow told reporters yesterday that the city's doctors will be legally required to report new cases of streptococcus suis, starting today.

Hong Kong experts have examined 30 cases in Sichuan and concluded that the only cause seemed to be the bacteria streptococcus suis, and not a combination of bacteria or toxins as the WHO has suggested, Mr Chow said.

'There is no evidence of any co-infection at the moment,' he said.

To ward off the disease, the Hong Kong government has ordered pig farmers in the city to observe hygiene standards strictly and to dispose of pig carcasses properly in designated areas.

Offenders face steep fines and even six months in jail.

Date Posted: 8/2/2005