The biggest outbreak ever of the pig-borne Streptococcus suis disease has already spread to at least 10 cities and 32 counties in Sichuan province , claiming 38 lives since the middle of last month. It shows no sign of abating and poses the most severe public health threat to the region since Sars.
Mainland authorities, who are usually less than forthcoming on unfavourable news, have taken the situation seriously. Beijing and Chongqing were among the first to set up roadblocks to ban Sichuan pigs and pork. Guangzhou confiscated over 100 tonnes of suspicious frozen meat.
In contrast, the Hong Kong government has been complacent. Initially, it failed to ban the import of pork from the infected areas and to recall the meat in question from the market. Neither did it require cases of the disease to be reported to the authorities. Officials were adamant that Sichuan's unilateral initiative to refrain from exporting pigs to Hong Kong was adequate.
Finally, last Monday, Secretary for Health, Welfare and Food York Chow Yat-ngok hosted his first press conference on the issue, saying the disease had been listed as infectious and slaughterhouses had been told to report such cases. He also pledged to step up inspection of farms and enforcement against illegal imports. But he maintained there was no need to ban imports of pigs and pork from the mainland.
As a political appointee, Dr Chow's performance has been disappointing. He has apparently forgotten the painful Sars lessons and failed to comprehend how jittery the public has become. Given the government's poor response to Sars, residents have reason to be worried.
In fact, the Advisory Council on Food and Environmental Hygiene chairman, Yuen Kwok-yung - a microbiologist at the University of Hong Kong - said the possibility of mutations could not be ruled out.
The medical and health units led by Dr Chow have underestimated the sensitivity of this matter of life and death. Of the 11 people infected in Hong Kong, seven became ill in March. Four were in constant contact with pigs in their daily work. There is no way of knowing whether the cases originated in Sichuan. The only effective measure is to impose a complete ban on Sichuan pork and pigs, stringent inspections of the imports from the rest of China, and a recall of frozen pork from Sichuan. Only such decisive moves can restore public confidence.