Chinese authorities report that a mystery disease has killed17 people from villages around Ziyang and Neijiang. Atpresent, 12 more people are in critical condition and 27 arestable. 2 have recovered.
It appears that all of the farmers had butchered sick pigsor sheep before coming down with the illness.
The World Health Organization said that there is at presentno sign of a massive outbreak of the disease, and thatChinese authorities are saying that it is not beingtransmitted from human to human.
The symptoms are fatigue, fever, nausea, vomiting, coma anddeath. The victims have all been farmers, and did not appearto have had contact with each other.
The Chinese Ministry of Health is investigating thesituation. At present, nothing is known about this mysterydisease, not even if it is bacterial or viral, or caused bysome other agent.
It does not at present appear to be related to bird flu, butif it is, and it represents a strain that has mutated intopigs, there is a strong possibility that it will becometransmissible between humans.
Unknowncountry.com keeps a careful watch on new diseases,because of the speed with which they can move around theworld due to modern travel and very large populations livingclose together in cities.
Keep the information coming,subscribe today.
NOTE: This news story, previously published on our old site, will have any links removed.
Subscribers, to watch the subscriber version of the video, first log in then click on Dreamland Subscriber-Only Video Podcast link.