Virus kills 10,000 pigs in E. Timor

Virus kills 10,000 pigs in E. Timor

DILI, East Timor: More than 10,000 pigs have died in the
province in recent weeks due to a deadly virus, a local official
said.

Suminarwati Lenggu, head of the local husbandry service, said
the virus, which has spread to six provinces in East Timor, is
believed to have come from Bali.

"We believe the virus came from Bali. This is the first time
the Hoc Cholera virus has attacked pigs in the region," she said
on Thursday as quoted by Antara.

Over 30,000 vials of vaccine have now been distributed
throughout the 13 districts in the province, but Lenggu said it
may not be sufficient to protect the approximately 374,000 pigs
in East Timor.

"To restrict the area affected by the virus attack, we have
banned the export of pigs from this regency to others," she
explained adding that money was being sought to buy vaccine.

She estimated that if the disease was not checked, the
province would lose Rp 22 billion (US$6.4 million).

She allayed fears of a threat to humans saying that "the virus
attack does not endanger human health or that of other
animals." (mds)