AnalysisLethal disease devestates China's pig herds
China is the world’s largest pig meat exporters, but the blue ear pig disease is devestating China’s pig farm economy; virus spreading to neighboring countries; nimble vaccine makers stand to benefit
As if China did not have enough problems with its lax product safety standards and shoddy food handling practices, now it aces another crisis: A virus infecting its pig population. Moving rapidly from one farm to the next, the virus has been devastating pig communities throughout China for more than a year, wiping out entire herds, driving pork prices up nearly 87 percent in a year and helping push the country’s inflation rate to its highest levels since 1996. The Chinese government has admitted that the swine deaths amount to an epidemic but contends that the situation is under control. China says it is moving swiftly to stop the infections by quarantining and slaughtering the affected pigs, and says its researchers have developed an effective vaccine in record time for the likely cause
