HK orders clean up as swine flu spreads in China
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Alarmed by an outbreak of swine flu in mainland China that has killed 34 people, Hong Kong’s government set up tough new measures on Monday to try to protect the southern territory from the disease.
Over 180 people have been infected with Streptococcus suis, a form of swine flu, in China’s southwestern Sichuan province since June.
The Hong Kong government ordered pig farms in the city to strictly observe hygiene standards and to dispose of pig carcasses properly in designated areas.
Those caught flouting the rules would be fined HK$25,000 (US$3,200) and jailed for up to six months.
“They have to disinfect the carcasses and wrap them properly using double-layer plastic bags,” said a government spokeswoman.
Officials were also discussing whether to classify swine flu a “notifiable infectious disease”, which would require all local doctors to report such cases to the government.
While China has suspended exports of Sichuan pork to Hong Kong, the outbreak has unnerved the territory after authorities said last week that two local men had contracted the bacterial infection.
Neither man had travelled outside of Hong Kong immediately prior to their falling ill and health authorities are still investigating how they contracted the disease. One has been discharged and the other is still in hospital.
“One of them is a renovation worker, who would probably have minor cuts on his hands, the other goes to the market and cooks regularly, so he might have had contact with raw, infected pork,” said a government spokesman.
Though endemic in swine, human infections of Streptococcus suis are rare.
The bacteria finds its way into humans via open wounds and minor cracks under fingernails. But it is susceptible to heat of over 100 C (212 F), and thoroughly cooked pork is safe to eat.
Chinese authorities say all those taken ill in Sichuan had slaughtered, handled or ate infected pigs, and stressed that there had not been any human-to-human transmission of the bacteria.
However, China’s death toll of some 20 percent so far is particularly worrying as previous mortality rates are not known to have gone over 10 percent.
Many who died in Sichuan died within 24 hours of showing symptoms and many bled under their skin, signs which were not typical of Streptococcus suis infections.
“The situation is extraordinary. The pattern hasn’t followed previous outbreaks, there are many human infections and deaths,” said infectious disease expert Lo Wing-lok.
“Could there be other factors involved? Has the organism changed? Has it mutated to become more contagious and virulent? Is there co-infection of any other virus or bacteria? These are the questions on our minds.”
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