Assam drawing action plan to control African Swine Fever

The Assam Veterinary and Animal Husbandry Department is working on war footing to draw an action plan for controlling the spread of the African Swine Fever, which has killed 2,900 pigs in the state since February, a minister said on Wednesday.

A task force is being set up under the department's secretary to check the disease and minimise loss to pig farmers, Veterinary and Animal Husbandry Minister Atul Bora told PTI.

"Veterinary doctors and scientists are deeply involved in controlling spread of the disease," Bora said.

Saying that an estimated 2,900 pigs had died due to the African swine fever, he said they were concerned about the potential spread of the disease to the Northeast.

"We do not want transportation of pigs from other parts of country to the region to avoid a crisis situation here," Bora said.

Pointing out it is a fatal disease of pigs and the mortality rate was 100 per cent, Bora said humans and other animals were not infected by it.

Informing that the disease could occur also through fresh and frozen pork, he said: "We have taken a decision to ban sale of pork in the six affected districts of Jorhat, Lakhimpur, Dhemaji, Bishwanath, Dibrugarh and Sivasagar."
On the preventive measures need to be taken, the minister said: "Adoption of strict biosecurity measures is the only preventive measure. We have directed that the domestic pigs be restricted to one area inside the farm premises so that the disease does not spread."
"We suspect it has come to Assam from Xingiang province through adjacent Arunachal Pradesh through wild boar," he said. "This virus remains active till about two-and-a-half years and there is no treatment for this disease."