The Ministry of Health confirmed yesterday that one more person died in the pig-borne disease outbreak in southwest China's Sichuan Province by noon that day and that one new case was reported.

This brings the province's death toll from Streptococcus suis II to 38 and the number of reported infections to 206, 165 of which are confirmed and 41 suspected.

Eight people were discharged from hospital on Wednesday, but 18 others are still in a critical condition. The number of people who have been infected and discharged is now 26, the ministry said.

Cases have been identified in 32 counties of 10 cities, mainly in Ziyang, Jianyang, and Neijiang. All patients had direct contact with ill or dead pigs and there have been no reports of human to human transmission.

The Ministry of Commerce issued a nationwide notice yesterday demanding all regions to tighten up management of local pork markets to prevent the possible spread of the disease, saying more effective measures should be adopted to prevent the killing, transportation or sale of sick pigs.

All pig slaughterhouses and pork stores must be put under strict quarantine procedures to guarantee a safe supply of pork, said the ministry.

Today's China Daily reported that many people in Sichuan have stopped eating pork and that some restaurants are replacing it with fish and rabbit.

It also quoted a local government worker, Zhang Jing, saying an increasing number of people in Ziyang, where the first person was hospitalized with the disease on June 24, are again eating pork because they believe the government's measures mean it is now safe to do so.

(Xinhua News Agency, China Daily August 4, 2005)