IE, Kak, Bpr, Ukl come under ASF spread
Containment measures in place: Official
Source: The Sangai Express

Imphal, October 17 2023: After Imphal West, some of the samples collected of pigs from Imphal East, Kakching, Bishnupur and Ukhrul and sent to North Eastern Regional Disease Diagnostic Laboratory, Guwahati have also been found infected by African Swine Fever (ASF).

The result was sent to the Veterinary and Animal Husbandry (V&AH) Department by the diagnostic laboratory at Guwahati yesterday (October 16).Speaking to The Sangai Express, V&AH Director Dr Ng Ibotombi said that the Rapid Response Team of the department has started taking up control and containment measures in the areas of the four districts where ASF was confirmed.

Sale and transportation of pigs, pork, feed and related items have been banned within the infected and surveillance zones, he informed.

Dr Ibotombi continued that the department has been collecting samples of dead pigs since the past few days to know the exact cause of their deaths.

Reiterating that ASF which is highly contagious among the pigs has been confirmed in certain areas of Imphal East, Kakching, Bishnupur and Ukhrul, he said that the Department of Veterinary and Animal Husbandry has written to the Deputy Commissioners concerned and other top officials of the Government to take up necessary actions at places where ASF has been detected.

The pig farms at the four districts where ASF was confirmed will be declared as epicentres while those falling under one Km and nine Km radius of the farms will be designated as infected and surveillance zones respectively for control and containment purposes as per the action plan of the Government, he added.

Dr Ibotombi went on to state that culling exercises will begin at areas which fall under the infected zone by giving due compensation to the farmers.

Health status of pigs being reared within the surveillance zones will also be checked to prevent further outbreak of ASF, he added.

On the clarification issued by Central Agricultural University (CAU), Imphal on designating a research farm of the varsity as the epicentre of ASF, Dr Ibotombi said that the comment of CAU was misleading as the Government issued the notification after a sample of the dead pig collected from All India Coordinated Research Project on Pigs, CAU was tested positive for ASF as per the Government protocol.

A culling exercise has to be launched at the epicentre or areas which fall under the infected zone as per the guidelines of the National (State) action plan on ASF, he said and added that epicentre doesn't necessarily mean every ASF case in Manipur was spread from the particular area.

Which area is to be designated as the epicentre of ASF is clearly written in the guidelines of Prevention and Control of Infectious and Contagious Disease in Animal Act, 2009, he continued.

Appealing to all pig rearers to cooperate with the Government in the control and containment measures of ASF, Dr Ibotombi said they will collect the details of the farmers and weight of the pigs before culling them for compensation purposes.

He further appealed to all farmers to not dump dead pigs in water bodies or open fields as it may help transmit the disease to other pigs apart from contaminating the area.

The ASF positive samples were collected from Kongba Chingjin in Imphal East, Kakching Moirangthem Leikai in Kakching and Moirang Kokilbon Leikai in Bishnupur.

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