China's pig-disease epidemic is the biggest streptococcus suis outbreak in history, says WHO.

According to the report, Sichuan Province has documented 163 cases of swine streptococcus suis, among them 112 confirmed cases and 51 suspected ones. Eleven people have been discharged from hospital and 24 others are in critical condition.

Xinhua separately reported one pig-borne virus case found in southern China's Guangdong Province. The patient, the first of such cases in the province, was discharged from hospital Friday after medical treatment and strict observation.

Fatality Rate Unusually High

The World Health Organization (WHO) has said the death toll in Sichuan Province is unusually high, as the normal fatality rate is under 10 percent. According to WHO, it is the biggest outbreak relating to the bacteria in history. Beijing notified WHO about the outbreak last week.

All the patients, mainly from two cities in Sichuan Province, Ziyang and Neijing, had direct contact with sick or dead animals before developing symptoms, which include high fever, fatigue, nausea, vomiting and bruising. Some patients have even become comatose.

Neither the Health Ministry nor WHO reports any cases of human-to-human transmission.

Better Drugs, Preventive Measures Needed

Doctors are treating patients with heavy doses of antibiotics and are trying to find more effective drugs.

The Guangzhou Animal Biological Medicine Plant is also working on a vaccine to protect pigs from the disease and it is expected to be available soon.

More than 450 pigs have died in the outbreak.