Ministry urged to upgrade Vety laboratory
Source: Chronicle News Service
Imphal, December 03 2023:
Considering the handicaps faced due to absence of testing facility for African Swine Fever (ASF) in the state, Directorate of Veterinary and Animal Husbandry has urged ministry concerned for upgrading the existing disease laboratory in the state.
Addressing media persons at the Directorate's office near Sanjenthong, here, on Sunday, joint director (Planning) RK Khogendrajit said that as no facility to test AFS is available in the state, samples were sent to North Eastern Regional Disease Diagnostic Centre in Guwahati after many pigs were reported death in some of the districts of Manipur.
In order to prevent such problems, Veterinary and Animal Husbandry secretary Michael Achom submitted a letter to the ministry concerned for upgrading the existing veterinary disease laboratory in the state, he said.
Khogendrajit further informed that spread of AFS in the state was confirmed on October 13 last following after pigs showed symptoms of ASF and began to perish.
Samples were sent to Guwahati for testing and later 33 disease epicentres were identified.
Samples from two sites in Bishnupur district were also sent on December 1 with all the samples found positive for ASF.
Sanitization, sensitization and awareness programmes on ASF were conducted on regular basis at piggery farm areas by the 33 RRT of the directorate as part of its control and containment activities.
As of now, 1781 pigs from infected zones have been culled and buried in safe areas while 22,744 kg of pig feeds have been disposed of.
Informing that cases of ASF have been on decline in the state of late, he said that secretary Michael Achom has also written to the ministry for providing compensation to the pig farmers affected by the disease.