China's official news agency Xinhua reports a mysterious disease has killed 17 farmers in southwestern China. 41 more are been hospitalized.

Preliminary investigations reveal the victims became infected after butchering sick pigs or sheep. Xinhua also says those affected have developed symptoms like high fever, fatigue, nausea and vomiting.

58 other people have been hospitalized with similar symptoms from areas around the cities of Ziyang and Neijiang in China's southwestern Sichuan province. Among the 41 hospitalized in the southwest, 39 are still being treated and two have recovered.

Medical experts say the disease "is not spreading further among humans." They have also ruled out the possibility of an epidemic.

Meanwhile, the World Health Organization says the disease is not like bird flu. A hospital worker says the pigs in the area have been infected with streptococcus bacteria.