Dozen Of Pigs In Thailand Die.

[Spellbound]

Dozen of pigs in N. Thailand die with unknown cause

www.chinaview.cn 2004-08-03 12:58:27

BANGKOK, Aug. 3 (Xinhuanet) -- A dozen of pigs in the northern province of Kampaengpetch in Thailand have died with unknown cause.

The 12 pigs belonged to a farm of a local villager in Ban Kon Tai in the province's Muang district, the Thai News Agency reported Tuesday.

"They had died one by one since July 25, and three more are dying," the owner of the pig farm, Klin Jabpeng said.

"The pigs suffered from high fever, cough, swelling eyes, and breathing difficulty," he disclosed.

Klin said that he had reported the incident to his village's head, who is reporting to local livestock officials.

Early this year, Klin said, all eight chickens in his farm died from bird flu, together with several more of his neighbors' farms.Enditem　

http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2004-08/...ent_1701348.htm

[Spellbound]

Early this year, Klin said, all eight chickens in his farm died from bird flu, together with several more of his neighbors' farms.Enditem

If this is the Bird Flu that has jumped species, then this could really be worth worrying about. Pigs genectic make up is very close to humans, so it would be real easy for the virus to mutate and infect the human population. Lets hope this is not the case, but the WHO has been concerned about this for a long time.

[BillyZ]

Lets hope this is not the case, but the WHO has been concerned about this for a long time.

Of course it's OK, no problem. Khun Taksin has reassured us and he'd never lie about something like this, especially if the public was at risk. The virus, if it IS in pigs now, will not jump to humans, because he doesn't want it to. And we can take that to the bank!

And, if for some reason the virus does mutate and become a human virus, then it will all be the fault of the WHO, WTO and those pesky NGOs. Besides, if you DO die from the mutated avian flu, rest assured, that your family might receive some money, after your local politician takes his handling fee out....

[Ned]

I've been living in a village in Sanpatong , Chiang Mai for the last couple of years. In the whole place there are only a handful of houses which don't breed pigs. There must be thousands of pigs in the village, most not more than 10 metres from the houses. They lie around in their own filth as most people are reluctant to use water which is another expense. The pigs' companions are chickens and sparrows which hop in and out of the pens all day.

During the last bout of bird flu all the fighting birds and other decent birds were released into the forest on the outskirts of the village and brought back when the govt gave the 'all clear'....."No problem...mai mii panhaa". If I notice anybody selling pigs in a hurry it might be a good time to head for the hills.....but where?

This pig disease thing sounds nasty and you can be sure of another cover-up one way or another.

[rod_kalashnikov]

 

[rainman]

I rarely eat onions anyways.

[duke69]

suicide???

[rainman]

"The pigs suffered from high fever, cough, swelling eyes, and breathing difficulty," he disclosed.

The owner of the farm probably fed them an overdose of Viagra for faster reproduction and they died of heart collapse.

[The Gentleman Scamp]

So no chicken, no pork.

Just as I'm starting to get sick of tuna I'd say that was typical.

[astral]

So no chicken, no pork.

Just as I'm starting to get sick of tuna I'd say that was typical.

Has Mad Cow Disease reached Thailand yet?

Soon it will be only vegetables covered in pesticide!!

[PlanetMan]

suicide???

took me a minute or two, but I got it.

Sowicide? Mad Sow disease?? PSE (Porcine Spongiform Encephalopathy)??? Sick to death of pork barrel politics? Austin Sowers wanted his "baby back, baby back, baby back....ribs?" The Curious Incident of the Hog in the Night? ...

[plachon]

hundreds of people can die in flooding in china or dozens in a plane crash (so long as there are no foreigners aboard) and it gets less line space than this minor incident in Thailand. A dozen pigs dying in one village is not even near an epidemic, it happens frequently all over the place from any of a number of infectious diseases and is nothing to worry about. The curious thing about this post is why is Xinhua (official chinese news agency) bothering to report it? Either they know something we don't about the significance of this "normal" event and are keeping mum, or there is absolutely no better news from around the world to report on.

[Richard W]

If this is the Bird Flu that has jumped species, then this could really be worth worrying about.  Pigs genectic make up is very close to humans, so it would be real easy for the virus to mutate and infect the human population.

I don't think it is similar - I think the problems with pork arise because we and the pigs have long (at least 8 million years) had similar diets - probably why we taste similar. Humans don't catch foot and mouth disease, though it is endemic to Thailand and Malaysia.

Swine vesicular disease is suspected of jumping the species barrier (human to pig!), but it is it difficult for humans to catch - lab workers have been infected, but a Queensland site says it doesn't affect humans.

[plachon]

If this is the Bird Flu that has jumped species, then this could really be worth worrying about.  Pigs genectic make up is very close to humans, so it would be real easy for the virus to mutate and infect the human population.

I don't think it is similar - I think the problems with pork arise because we and the pigs have long (at least 8 million years) had similar diets - probably why we taste similar

Fancy that, a real live cannibal online! How do you like your human cooked and which parts do you recommend to a gourmand? Share your favourite recipes with us Rich.

[Richard W]

How do you like your human cooked and which parts do you recommend to a gourmand? Share your favourite recipes with us Rich.

I believe the standard recipe book is To Serve Man: A Cookbook for People. Raw liver is quite popular, (there's a celebrated example from (anti-)Moslem history) but I wouldn't recommend it. You can get many nasty diseases from raw long pig. Moreover, avoid the eating the brain of a Briton or Frenchman (the French systematically failed to notice cases of BSE) - remember the case of a New Guinea village that was wiped out by CJD.

You can, of course, find recipes on-line - e.g. Polynesian long pig recipe.

[plachon]

Dagnabit pardner! Darn nearly broke my front teeth on that cowboy recipe. Tougher than a saddle. Gotta tenderise 'em real good first before tryin' this toothsome recipe.

And now to try the left forearm of a young woman......... Hmmmmm........ Boooootiful

[Spellbound]

Friday, 20 August, 2004, 14:46 GMT 15:46 UK

E-mail this to a friend Printable version

Avian flu 'discovered in pigs'

Thousands of birds have already been infected with avian flu

Scientists in China say they have discovered a highly virulent strain of bird flu virus in pigs.

An official at the China National Avian Flu Reference Laboratory said the H5N1 virus strain had been found in pigs at several farms in the country.

More than 20 people died and almost 200 million birds were culled during a flu epidemic in Asia earlier this year.

The spread to pigs has yet to be confirmed, but there could be serious implications for human health if it is.

The World Health Organization said that if the pigs were harbouring both bird and human flu viruses, the two strains could interact to create a strain capable of transferring easily to humans.

New development

Chinese scientist Chen Hualan first announced the existence of bird flu in pigs during a conference speech on Friday.

She later told journalists that the virus had been discovered in pigs in south-east China's Fujian province in 2003, and in "another place" in 2004.

Officials at both the WHO and the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) said they were unaware of the new development until Ms Chen's comments.

"I think it's something we've long warned can happen. I don't think we're shocked, but we need more details," WHO spokesman Roy Wadia told the French news agency AFP.

Scientists fear more humans could be infected in the future

The deadly H5N1 strain of bird flu is currently capable of spreading from poultry to people, but the incidence of cross-species transfer is relatively rare and so far there have been no cases of human-to-human transfer.

There is a fear that, if it has spread to pigs, the virus could mutate and form a strain that could then readily transfer to humans.

But the WHO cautions that a lot more information is needed before an accurate risk assessment can be made.

For one thing, it is not yet clear whether the pigs are actually infected with the virus, or have merely come into contact with it.

Pigs can pick up viruses in their snouts from sniffing at the ground, but this does not mean they actually have the disease.

In an earlier outbreak, nasal swabs from pigs in Vietnam tested positive for bird flu, but blood tests proved that they were not actually infected.

"If we found [the virus] in the nostril, a superficial part of the body, it would not be as significant. If we found it in an organ, say the lungs, that would be significant," FAO spokesman Juan Lubroth told AFP.

Pressing problem

Meanwhile bird flu continues to plague many parts of Asia.

It ravaged poultry flocks throughout the region earlier this year, and caused the deaths of 27 people in Vietnam and Thailand.

A further three people are said to have died from the disease in Vietnam earlier this month.

Malaysia is the latest country to report the incidence of the disease in its poultry flock.

Officials announced earlier this week that the H5N1 strain had been found, prompting Singapore to ban all poultry imports from Malaysia with immediate effect.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/asia-pacific/3583856.stm