Hong Kong butcher infected by pig-borne disease

HONG KONG (Reuters) – A butcher at one of Hong Kong’s
leading supermarket chains has contracted a pig-borne disease
that has infected over 200 people and killed 39 in southwest
China, the city’s Health Department said.

The 44-year-old man, who was not identified, is the fourth
person to become infected with the Streptococcus suis bacteria
in Hong Kong since the outbreak in China was first reported in
June, and the ninth person to catch the disease in the city
this year.

The report of the new infection comes as fears grow that
the disease has spread from Sichuan province to other parts of
China, which supplies much of Hong Kong’s food.

The butcher worked at a Wellcome Supermarket, which is part
of one of Asia’s oldest trading groups, Jardine Matheson
Holdings, the Health Department said.

A spokeswoman for Wellcome said the supermarket chain buys
its pork from a Hong Kong government slaughterhouse, which in
turn gets its supplies from Ng Fung Hong, the city’s major
distributor of imported pork from China.

The spokeswoman said over the telephone that sales of pork
had been suspended at the branch where the butcher worked but
the meat was still on sale at its other locations.

“We’re still trying to investigate how the butcher got
infected,” she said.

Calls to Ng Fung Hong, which is owned by Hong Kong-listed
China Resources Enterprise Ltd., were not answered. A person
who answered the phone at China Resources refused comment and
referred all questions to Ng Fung Hong.

The Hong Kong man had not travelled to China recently but
had earlier cut his finger, the Health Department said in a
statement late on Tuesday, urging people to wear gloves when
handling pigs or raw pork.

He was admitted to hospital on Tuesday with fever and pain
in his finger and left thigh and is now in stable condition.

Those who have contracted the disease in Sichuan had
slaughtered, handled or eaten infected pigs, though scientists
say the bacteria can be killed if meat is thoroughly cooked.

On Monday, Hong Kong suspended imports of frozen pork from
the central Chinese province of Henan and the southern boomtown
of Shenzhen after authorities recalled some pork in Shenzhen,
which is adjacent to Hong Kong. The meat originated from Henan.

Imports of live pigs from those areas is still allowed but
disease specialists said they should be banned immediately
following the latest Hong Kong case.

Chinese authorities said tests showed the meat in Shenzhen
was not contaminated with the pig-borne bacteria but Hong Kong
health officials said they are still seeking explanations from
the Chinese on why the meat was recalled.

Streptococcus suis is endemic in most pig-rearing countries
but human infections are rare. Although China’s state media
have said no human-to-human infections have been found in
Sichuan, the infection rate and death toll is considered
unusually high.