These symptoms are not entirely consistent with H5N1,Streptococcus suis or Ebola. However the only symptoms listed above common to Streptococcus suis are meningitis (in some cases not all),fever and vomiting etc.
Do we know if the symptoms are reported by Chinese health officials? or from the media. In other words did the media get this confused or is this the picture the Chinese are proposing? Because if this is the later and we are presented with a novel Streptococcus suis then this is also cause for concern and further study.
"Some 50,000 health workers are being deployed in China's Sichuan province as the human death toll continues to climb from a mystery epidemic involving bacteria spread among pigs. "
Hmm so they are spending a considerable amount of money over a Streptococcus suis outbreak that currently has fewer than 100 cases globally? Something not right here.
"Okay, first of all, I don't think this is a strep suis outbreak."
The symptoms are atypical, but without independent corroboration it's impossible to say yet. as i said above this could be a novel Strep suis outbreak
"I think this is H5N1, "
Pause for thought here there IS some remaining concern over lab data that corroborates Ebola H5N1 recombination event took place in Asia in 2004. A white paper is pending but the initial releases of data suggest this is the case. Please bear in mind that Streptococcus suis is endemic in most porcine populations especially in Asia and Europe. This new scare and Press Release form China presents a perfect backdrop for such a claim.
"Registering pigs does not sound, to me, like a way to control anything."
That depends on your objectives, if you want to contain and hold the population accountable for transmission during slaughter or transportation, then this provides a fear mechanisms to monitor and punish the population. it could be a way the Chinese really do want to control this outbreak. However if you want to eliminate or reduce the endemic reservoir of Streptococcus suis then culling is the only policy possible activity.
That's the only point I really disagree with you about. I think they're entirely consistent with H5N1 complicated by DIC. And any viral disease that has been treated by aspirin, commonly used to bring down a fever, can cause meningitis/encephalitis (Reyes' syndrome).
We don't know who is giving the symptoms list, in some cases it may be Boxun.
One thing is for certain, the Chinese are being....inscrutable.
I'll be gone for several hours.