African swine fever reported in Wayanad; 350 pigs to be culled

African swine fever, a contagious and fatal viral disease, has been reported among the pigs in Mananthavady in Wayanad district.
African swine fever reported in Wayanad; 350 pigs to be culled

KALPETTA: African swine fever, a contagious and fatal viral disease, has been reported among the pigs in Mananthavady in Wayanad district. The disease was confirmed by the National Institute of High Security Animal Diseases (NIHSAD), Bhopal. A total of 27 pigs had died at a farm in Kaniyaram in Mananthavady municipality during May-June, and one at a farm in Thavinjal panchayat, 14 days ago.

As per the meeting convened by the animal husbandry department director on Friday, the pigs in a one-kilometer radius of the affected regions will be culled and the pig feed destroyed. The farmers will be given compensation. A rapid response team -- comprising officers from the departments of health, animal husbandry, revenue, police and local self-government -- will be formed.

At the same time, places within a 10-km radius of the disease source will be monitored as surveillance zones. The disease-control measures will be coordinated by nodal officer Dr Bindhu K, who is an additional director with the animal husbandry department.

“Our team will visit the affected areas and will go ahead with the culling procedure as per the guidelines. More than 300 pigs will be culled in the disease-affected area,” said Dr Bindhu.As per the Wayanad animal husbandry department office, there are 4,740 piglets and 6,454 pigs grown by 244 farmers in the district.

“The swines affected by the virus will be culled as soon as possible. All pigs in the Mananthavady farm died by June-end. But there are 350 pigs at the Thavinjal farm. As of now, the swine fever will not spread to other animals and human beings,” said Rajesh V R, the Wayanad animal husbandry officer.

A strict ban has been imposed on the transportation of pigs in and out of the state under the Prevention and Control of Infectious and Contagious Diseases in Animals Act, 2009 (Central Act 27 of 2009). Also, Forest Minister A K Saseendran has issued instructions to tighten checks at all border checkposts and to prevent the entry of vehicles carrying pigs, pork meat, pig-meat products and pig excrement into the state.

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