Disease update: Sichuan has 34 dead
(July 31, 2005, BJ time) In Sichuan, the official death toll has increaded to 34 by July 29 (BJ time), the number of infected "Streptococcosis Suis" is 174. Government has admitted that the disease has spread to seven cities (including the original two), ZiGong and Chengdu are among the seven. At the same time, government said it is under control, which WHO does not agree. In ChaoAn County of Guangdong Province, there is one case which was found on July 27. It was reported on July 30. The Health Department of GuangDong says it is an isolated case, there is no other case. The patient has been recovered and left hospital. All newspapers in China use one version of report, not much detail. BBC reported that foreign journalists were arrested and the data was distroyed. The disease was found in June 24 (some people said in early June), the affected villages did not know this disease until there were deaths in near towns. According to BBC, the head of halth department in Rongchang County, which is close to Sichuan, did not know this until July 25. People start to complain about the disease prevention system on BBS in China. Farmers may not get the service of immunity for their pigs though they have been forced to pay for it. Government also forces farmers to send the pigs to "legal" site to process the pigs, but the so-called "legal" sites are the same ones as before, the difference is they have to pay extra fee. Poor farmers will never through away sick or dead pigs, mostly ended on the table. To prevent this bad situation, government should take responsibility and buy those sick pigs in order to destroy properly. (Modified on 2005/7/31)
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