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Malaysian pig farmers awaiting compensation
185 Malaysian pig farmers are waiting to hear from the
Federal Court in Putrajaya if their suit regarding alleged negligence arising
from the Nipah virus epidemic a decade ago will go ahead.
The case is filed by 185 victims of the
Nipah Virus outbreak in 1999, claiming for losses
suffered during the epidemic. The Federal Government together with three state
governments; Perak, Selangor and Negri Sembilan) are named as defendants in the
suit.
The viral encephalitis outbreak
which affected workers in the porcine industry, was caused by a then unknown
virus later identified and tagged as
Nipah
. The outbreak occurred between September 1998 and May 1999. Of the 265
infected, 105 died.
The government ordered over one million pigs to be culled to
contain the outbreak. It took some eight months to bring the epidemic under
control.
Singapore immediately banned all pig imports from Malaysia.
The ban remained in force ever since. Malaysia, which was the biggest pig
exporter in Southeast Asia before the outbreak, is now a net importer.
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