ASF : Results awaited for Imphal East, Kakching, Bishnupur and Ukhrul
Source: The Sangai Express
Imphal, October 15 2023:
Director of Veterinary and Animal Husbandry Dr Ng Ibotombi has said they will confirm whether other districts have cases of African Swine Fever (ASF) as soon as they receive the result of samples collected of pigs from Imphal East, Kakching, Bishnupur and Ukhrul.
Samples from the four districts and Imphal West were sent to North Eastern Regional Disease Diagnostic Laboratory at Guwahati a couple of days back and those collected from All India Coordinated Resource Project on the Pig Farm located within the premises of Central Agriculture University (CAU) complex, Iroisemba were found infected by ASF.
Speaking to The Sangai Express, Dr Ibotombi said that they may get the result of the remaining samples within a day or two.
Saying that the department is prepared to take up control and containment measure by sending Rapid Response Team if any of the samples is found ASF positive, Dr Ibotombi continued that a culling exercise is underway at the area under one km radius of CAU which has been declared an infected zone since yesterday.
He further said that five pigs which were reared within the infected zone were slaughtered and buried yesterday.
Saying that due compensation will be paid for the pigs slaughtered under Section 20 of Prevention and Control of Infectious and Contagious Disease in Animal Act, 2009, Dr Ibotombi continued that Rapid Response Team of the department has also started checking health status of pigs being reared under nine km radius of CAU which has been designated as surveillance zone.
The department found some pigsties being dismantled and some pigs missing within the infected and surveillance zones, he said and added that no culling exercise was conducted today.
On the rumour that some pig carcasses were dumped in rivers in Imphal, the V&AH Director appealed to all farmers to never dump the carcasses of infected pigs in water bodies as they may transmit the disease to other pigs and contaminate the water bodies.
He further appealed to all concerned to contact the nearest veterinary hospital if their pigs die mysteriously or bury them properly after spraying salt and limestone powder.
Dr Ibotombi said that ASF can't transmit to other animals or human beings but it is highly contagious and deadly to the pigs.
No vaccines have been developed for ASF too, he added.