Two out of 21 Vietnamese people who have contracted streptococcus suis since the beginning of this year died of the disease, according to sources from a local hospital on Friday. The patients from northern localities have been treated in the Hanoi capital-based Tropical Disease Hospital, said the hospital's vice director Nguyen Hong Ha. All of the patients have contacted infected pigs, slaughtered or eaten ill pigs, he said, noting that two serious cases are now being treated in the hospital. According to the World Health Organization, streptococcus suis is a bacterium commonly present in pigs in many parts of the world. In most cases, it does not cause disease in pigs. Human infection is usually through direct contact with infected pigs or raw pig- products and is thought to occur through cuts or abrasions on the skin when handling infected pig material. Besides streptococcus suis, pigs in some Vietnamese localities are suffering from porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome. The syndrome has infected some 20,000 pigs and killed over 900 others in central Quang Nam province and central Da Nang city since June 25, according to the Department of Animal Health under the Vietnamese Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development. Source: Xinhua
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