A viral epidemic devastated the pig farming industry in Negeri Sembilan and neighbouring states with at least a hundred fatalities and bringing economic ruin to farmers. The virus was incorrectly identified by a bungling Health Ministry as the Japanese encephalitis virus which has a different transmission method from the real culprit, the Nipah virus. The misidentification and the use of ineffective vaccines caused the disease to spread rapidly. Half a million pigs were slaughtered and the owners paid a token compensation of RM50 per pig which ensured bankruptcy.