Assam is experiencing African Swine Fever, and the slaughtering of pigs has already begun.
Following a positive test from a pig in the Bhogali, Pathar area of Dibrugarh, Assam was the first state to confirm the presence of African swine fever. The killing of pigs has reportedly started in the region and the first incidence of African swine flu has been identified.
The Dhemaji district’s Jonai was where the first case in Assam was documented. The National Institute of High-Security Animal Diseases in Bhopal verified the outbreak of ASF in Assam and Arunachal Pradesh on May 1, 2020.
The confirmation was done after testing positive samples supplied to the institute from those two states. According to a report from Assam’s minister of agriculture and animal husbandry, Atul Bora, the illness is thought to have infiltrated India over Arunachal Pradesh’s eastern border.
What is African Swine Fever?
The World Organisation for Animal Health reports that Assam and Arunachal Pradesh in northeast India are the first states where the disease has been detected in domestic pigs.
ASF is a highly infectious hemorrhagic viral disease with a nearly 100% death rate. Although there may be many parallels between the symptoms of ASF and Classical Swine Fever, they are distinct viruses.
High body temperature, depression, anorexia, and appetite loss are some of the signs of ASF.
Other symptoms include hemorrhages in the skin, miscarriage, cyanosis, nausea, and diarrhea. Death usually occurs within 6–13 days (or up to 20 days).
Direct contact with sick pigs can spread the disease, as can indirect contact methods such as ingesting spoiled food, fungal spores, and biological vectors.
The Present
Recently, ASF instances have been identified in Assam, Mizoram, Sikkim, Nagaland, Tripura, Uttarakhand, and Bihar.
Dr. Himandu Bikash Barua, District Animal Husbandry & Veterinary Officer in Dibrugarh, stated that
“We first declared the area up to 1 km as infected. According to the rules, we’ve killed and buried all the pigs in the infected area. Simultaneously, we have also sanitized the entire region.
This has taken a toll on farmers involved in pig farming. The authorities have further advised avoiding consuming pork for the next few weeks.
