Steps have been intensified to curb the spread of African swine fever after the disease was reported at two sites in Wayanad district, Minister for Animal Husbandry J. Chinchurani has said.
The disease was confirmed on Friday after samples of dead animals from two pig farms at Mananthavady tested positive at the National Institute of High Security Animal Diseases at Bhopal.
The Minister said officials of the Revenue, Health, Animal husbandry, State Goods and Service Tax, Police, and Forest departments would jointly adopt steps to arrest the spread of the disease. Control and surveillance at border check-posts would be strengthened —transportation of pig, pork, and value-added pork products inside the State and from outside is banned.
As many as 43 pigs at a pig farm at Mananthavady and one at a farm at Tavinhal died of the disease in a month. As many as 300 pigs were at the farm at Tavinhal and three animals had symptoms of the disease.
Ms. Chinchurani said experts of the Animal Disease Control Programme, State Institute for Animal Diseases, and the College of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, Pookode, held a meeting three days ago and collected samples after visiting the sites. They also organised awareness programmes for pig farmers.
“African swine fever is a highly contagious viral disease in domestic and wild pigs. However, it does not pose a threat to humans,” the Minister said.
One kilometre radius of the areas where the disease was reported would be declared “infect zone” and pigs in the areas would be culled to keep the disease at bay and the fodder kept for the animals would also be destroyed.
Two to ten-km areas would be declared surveillance zones and animals in the areas would be closely monitored. Compensation would be given to owners of culled animals as per the Centre’s norms.
“Since the disease does not have any specific treatment or vaccine, preventive measures are important,” she said.
