According to state media reports, the killer is likely a bacteria, spread among pigs.
'I can assure you that the disease is absolutely not SARS (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome), anthrax or bird flu,' Zeng Huajin, a senior official with the Sichuan health department, told the China Daily.
Zeng says the disease was 'probably' caused by streptococcus suis, a bacteria usually spread among pigs.
The Sichuan health department says that, as of Saturday, 58 people have caught the disease; in the cities of Ziyang and Neijiang.
At least 17 have died.
Zeng says the disease could not spread among humans, and normally only those with a weak immune system became ill.
