HANOI, June 20 (Xinhua) -- Porcine Reproductive and RespiratorySyndrome (PRRS), known as "blue ear" disease, hit Vietnam's southern Soc Trang province Thursday, killing and leading to the forced culling of 60 pigs, a local veterinary agency said on Friday.

    The disease stroke the pigs raised by a household in My Xuyen district, the Department of Animal Health under the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development said, adding that PRRS is currently hitting five Vietnamese provinces, including northern Thai Nguyen province, and the four southern provinces of Vinh Long,Bac Lieu, Lam Dong and Soc Trang.

    PRRS was first discovered in the United States in the mid-1980s and is now present in most pig-producing countries. The symptoms include reproductive failure, pneumonia and increased susceptibility to secondary bacterial infection.