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UNDIAGNOSED DEATHS, HUMAN, SWINE - PAPUA NEW GUINEA - PROMED
Subject: Pig deaths in Papua New Guinea
Source: The National [edited]
<http://www.thenational.com.pg/021907/nation1.htm>
Three women in remote Mt. Bosavi and Walagu, in the Southern
Highlands province [of Papua New Guinea (PNG)], have died after
eating contaminated pork, while an estimated 1000 pigs are known to
have died from an outbreak of an as yet unidentified disease.
The pigs developed a swollen neck, flu and fever, and parts of their
bodies were decaying causing them to die within days.
Other animal species were reported to have died after developing similar symptoms and authorities fear the rivers and creeks are contaminated by dead animals. Mt. Bosavi and Walagu are located close to the border of the
Western and Gulf provinces and are only accessible by air transportation.
Over 16 000 people live in this remote area, which is 3 walking days
from Moro, in Kutubu.
Norman Kambo, Deputy controller of the State of Emergency, and
Southern Highlands' provincial livestock expert, John Kunjip, were
flown by a chartered Oil Search helicopter into Bosavi and Walagu to
investigate the epidemic last Wednesday [14 Feb 2007]. Although no
official diagnosis had been made at this stage, Mr. Kambo is fearful
the disease could be the dreaded 'weapon anthrax' said to be caused
by gunpowder poisoning. Mr. Kambo believes the disease may have been
brought in by migratory animals from the Indonesian province of
Papua, where poachers are known to be using guns to hunt animals.
Similar cases have been reported in Western and Gulf provinces, where
hunters have come across live animals with decaying limbs. In Walagu,
the decaying intestines of a live pig were exposed and the stench was
awfully unbearable, resembling the description related by sources
familiar with weapons anthrax.
Mr. Kambo said arrangements were being made with the acting
provincial administrator, William Powi, to fly in livestock and
health experts to collect human and animal blood samples for testing.
The provincial administration would also assist by dispatching
agriculture experts to collect water and crop samples for testing.
According to Jackson Honia, the local medical officer in Walagu, up
to 200 people have complained of fever and were being treated with
antibiotics, prompting fears the disease could be transmitted from
animals to humans. The medical drugs at Walagu aid post have run out
and Mr. Honia has made an urgent plea to the security forces and the
Southern Highlands administration to bring in more medicine and food
supplies for the people affected. He said the people cannot prepare
sago [Sago is a powdery starch made from the processed pith found
inside the trunks of the Sago palm Metroxylon sagu. Sago forms a
major staple food for the lowland peoples of New Guinea and the
Moluccas. - CopyEd.MJ] or go fishing and hunting because their food
sources are contaminated. "We have a very serious problem and we need
medicine and food supplies," he said.
Mr. Kambo said he would consult the provincial administration, other
relevant Government authorities, and the national disaster and
emergency services to source out ways and means of assisting the
people affected. He has also urged the villagers to bury dead animals
in deep graves to prevent them from being exhumed by other scavenging
animals. But the villagers in Mt. Bosavi and Walagu say there are too
many pigs dying and the stench is just too much to bear.
If the disease is preventable, the Department of Livestock in
Southern Highlands province may attempt to carry out a vaccination
programme in the area, buy they would need logistics [coordination]
and manpower to effectively carry out the programme.
[The Southern Highlands province can be located on a map of Papua New
Guinea available at:
<http://www.lib.utexas.edu/maps/australia/papua_newguinea_pol89.jpg>.
- CopyEd.MJ]
[Apropos, a news item titled "PNG pig death mystery", by Adrienne
Francis, was published by the "abc.net.au" on 9 Nov 2004,
(<http://www.abc.net.au/rural/wa/stories/s1239525.htm>), which
relates an outbreak of classical swine fever in Papua New Guinea; see
below. - Mod.MHJ]
******
[2]
[Various people were polled as to their opinions on this event. Mike
Nunn's reply follows. - Mod.MHJ]
Date: Tue 20 February 2007
From: Mike Nunn
I'm overseas at present (as is Peter Beers: at a workshop in
Vancouver on zoning that is using avian influenza as a case study) so
have not spoken with the Papua New Guinea [PNG] CVO (chief veterinary
officer) on this report. However, having worked in PNG for 13 years,
I feel I can offer some reasonable comments on the likely explanation.
My 1st point is that the report needs to be checked: numbers tend to
be fairly fluid, as many groups don't have rigid counting systems.
Incidents that occur at or around the same time are often linked
there based on coincidence rather than cause (e.g. human deaths and
deaths in animals).
Notwithstanding these provisos, if we assume that a large number of
pigs died and the main signs were 'swollen necks, fever', death, and
rapid decay, the most likely diagnosis by far is anthrax, which is
endemic in pigs in the highlands provinces of PNG. The local name for
the disease is (in Pidgin) 'sot win' (= short wind) as the massive
oedema in the neck region blocks the trachea and causes severe
respiratory distress. The strain of anthrax in PNG (and indeed in the
Indonesian provinces on the western half of the island of New Guinea)
affects only pigs (and not ruminants or indigenous people: similar to
the situation in parts of southern Africa). Local people regularly
eat pigs that have or have died form anthrax there, butchering them
in villages and consuming the meat only partly cooked, at best,
without any untoward effects. The only known human cases in PNG have
occurred as cutaneous anthrax in (from memory) only 3 Europeans
(Caucasians/expatriates): all laboratory workers! [No] others,
[occurred] despite massive exposure of tens of thousands of
indigenous people over many years.
Thus the reported deaths of 3 indigenous women is most unlikely to be
due to anthrax and likely to be due either to an unrelated disease or
diseases or to 'pig bel', a clostridial enterotoxaemia associated
with the ingestion of large amounts of pork together with sweet
potato, which contains a trypsin inhibitor that delays digestion long
enough for clostridial numbers and toxin to build up to cause
disease. Outbreaks of 'pig bel' occur in association with events in
which large amounts of pork are consumed: typically in large
celebrations ('sing sings') or in outbreaks of disease (to salvage
valuable meat of ill or dead pigs rather than see it wasted).
This disease ecology has been operating for anthrax in the highlands
of New Guinea for many years (possibly hundreds or thousands of
years) and is well and truly established ('endemic' there: there is
no scientific reason to postulate any incursion or 'exotic' origin,
including so-called 'weapons' or 'gunshot anthrax') if (as is highly
likely based on the information in the report) anthrax is the cause
of the disease in the pigs and 'pig bel' or a disease unrelated to
pigs or the consumption of pig meat is the cause of the 3 human
deaths reported. The reported comments regarding wild birds (if
accurate) almost certainly reflect confusion between anthrax and
avian influenza by people with no veterinary, medical or related expertise.
Both anthrax in pigs and clostridial enterotoxaemia in people are
readily and cheaply preventable by vaccination, which, sadly has
declined dramatically in the past decade due to (i) a decline in
government resources in both the animal and human health areas in
PNG, and (ii) reallocation of human health resources from preventive
(e.g. vaccination) to emergency/critical medicine (e.g. intensive
care for diseases of affluence: road accidents, cardiac disease,
diabetes...) in towns/cities.
--
Mike Nunn
Principal Scientist (Animal Biosecurity)
Biosecurity Australia
[Obviously we must await laboratory confirmations on the human and
pig deaths. It could be porcine anthrax but others come to mind,
including a hodge-podge of separate pig and human diseases being
lumped together in worried gossip. If anyone has hard information, it
would be appreciated if it could be shared. Thanks to Mike for his
insightful comments. - Mod MHJ]
[see also:
2004
----
Swine fever, classical - Papua New Guinea 20041113.3072
Malaria - Papua New Guinea (Southern Highlands) 20040821.2324
Undiagnosed deaths - Papua New Guinea (Southern Highlands) (03): RFI
20040801.2101
Undiagnosed deaths - Papua New Guinea (Southern Highlands) (02): RFI
20040728.2062
Undiagnosed deaths - Papua New Guinea (Southern Highlands): RFI 20040721.1978
Undiagnosed deaths - Papua New Guinea: RFI 20040419.1083
1998
----
Mortality, human, cause unknown - Papua New Guinea (04) 19980114.0105
1997
----
Mortality, human, cause unknown - Papua New Guinea (03) 19971225.2551
Mortality, human, cause unknown - Papua New Guinea (02) 19971221.2527
Mortality, human, cause unknown - Papua New Guinea 19971219.2507
1996
----
Malaria in Highlands of Papua New Guinea 19960402.0618]