North China's Shanxi Province is acting to check the spread of blue-ear disease, which has killed more than 1,000 pigs so far this year, local authorities said Tuesday.

Vaccine for 165,000 pigs had arrived by Monday in Hongdong County, where the epidemic broke out, along with 430 exposure suits, 4.1 tons of disinfectant and 610 syringes for injections.

Local officials quarantined 10 villages where infected pigs were found. As of Tuesday morning, 936 pigs had been culled and work was continuing.

The county allocated 1 million yuan (about US$147,000) as compensation for farmers, who will get 150 yuan to 1,500 yuan per pig.

Markets and supermarkets were closely monitored, but so far, no contaminated pork has been discovered.

More than 1,000 pigs were found dead in Wan'an Township, Hongdong. The animals belonged to 65 households in 10 villages. About 80 percent of the dead animals were less than one month old.

Blue-ear disease is an economically important pandemic that causes reproductive failure in breeding stock and respiratory tract illness in young pigs.

(Xinhua News Agency February 11, 2009)