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Taiwan Warns Against Travel to China's Sichuan After Swine Disease Deaths

Posted on: Wednesday, 27 July 2005, 12:01 CDT

Text of report by Luis Huang, carried in English by Taiwanese Central News Agency website

Taipei, 27 July: The cabinet-level Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) called on the people of Taiwan Wednesday [27 July] to refrain from travelling to China's Sichuan Province and its neighbouring areas following the outbreak of a swine disease which has reportedly killed 24 people. For the sake of the health of Taiwan's travellers to China, an MAC official said, the island's top China policymaking body has sought to understand the current epidemic situation in Sichuan through the quasi-official Strait Exchange Foundation.

In addition, the MAC has informed all members of the Association of Taiwanese Businessmen in China about the epidemic through e- mails and has asked them to take preventive measures, the official said. The official also urged the public not to smuggle animals and products from the mainland to prevent the spread of epidemics and to maintain the safety of Taiwan's livestock industry and public health.

According to China's official statistics, the outbreak of the pig disease, caused by the streptococcus suis II bacteria, had claimed 24 lives as of Tuesday, and 117 people have contracted the disease, including 27 in critical condition. Their symptoms include high fever, nausea and hemorrhaging.

According to China's Health Ministry, these people contracted the disease by slaughtering and processing infected pigs. The disease has spread throughout 75 villages and 40 towns. The World Health Organization noted the "disconcertingly high mortality rate" and said it was monitoring the situation closely.

Source: BBC Monitoring Asia Pacific

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