The pathogeny of more than 200 milch cows in a Liaoning Province village is still unknown, though farmers have reported the cases to the Ministry of Agriculture twice in the last 12 days, the China Business News said today.

"We did receive two reports. We ordered the Liaoning agricultural authorities to investigate the reports but found nothing," the newspaper quoted an official of the ministry's veterinary bureau as saying. "We will order the Liaoning authorities to probe it once more."

Liu Jianhua, a villager of Liangjia Village in Kangping County, reported the first case to the local epidemic prevention station on January 8, after he found some of the milch cows raised by his neighbor excessively salivating and having blisters on their breast skin.

The station said they would report the case to higher level authorities after sending personnel to check on the sick cows, Liu said.

On the morning of January 17, Liu found two of his milch cows suffering from the same symptoms. He called the epidemic prevention station again to report it. Half an hour later, the station director came to the Lius, and discovered the cows had fevers of 40.3 degrees Celsius. The station said they would have it reported to their seniors.

Later that afternoon, five people from the county's veterinary authority came to the Lius, but failed to do tests because their blisters had broken.

As of January 19, six cows of Lius were infected and unable to produce milk.

The authorities said Liu could get only 1,200 yuan (US$149) for each cow, if culling the sick cows, Liu said.

On January 23, a team headed by the epidemic prevention station director came to the Liangjia Village, distributed a batch of disinfection to each milch cow farmer, and vaccinated all of the milch cows in the village to prevent foot-and-mouth disease.

Liaoning's veterinary authorities said the outbreak in Liangjia Village was an ordinary epidemic rather than foot-and-mouth disease, according to the China Business News.

Liu said he has yet to get any idea of the disease, though it has been nearly one month since he reported the first case. He wanted to sell his milch cows, but wasn't allowed. So for now he still has to pay for the 10-yuan daily cost to feed his cow.

In Liangjia Village, 26 families raised milch cows. Now 70 percent of the village's 300 milch cows are suffering from the disease.

Foot-and-mouth disease does not harm humans, but it is dangerous to animals, the News said, citing Yu Kangzhen, the vice director of China's general veterinary station. If the disease is confirmed, the sick cows must be culled, and trade should be banned absolutely, he said.

(Shanghai Daily February 7, 2006)