Two districts in north Kerala have been placed on high alert following the discovery of African swine fever in pigs in Wayanad on Friday, according to health officials.
They said that samples sent to Bhopal's National Institute of High Security Diseases confirmed the disease. The animal husbandry department gathered samples after five piglets died last week. District officials are now planning to kill pigs within a two-kilometer radius of where the initial incidence was reported from a farm.
“Samples were sent to the Bhopal lab after pigs died en masse. There are three farms nearby and all the animals, nearly 300 pigs, will be culled by this evening,” said a district official.
African Swine Fever is a highly contagious disease that can afflict farm-raised as well as feral pigs. According to the World Organization for Animal Health, the disease's fatality rate might exceed 100%.
There is no effective vaccination available to combat African Swine Fever. While the disease is not dangerous to human health, it has "devastating consequences on pig populations and the farming economy," according to the World Organization for Animal Health.
Following the report of the instances, state Minister for Animal Husbandry J Chinchu Rani urged pig farms to strictly execute biosecurity and waste disposal procedures in accordance with the Union government's action plan to combat African Swine Fever.
"Strict care should be maintained at all farms, and concerned veterinary doctors in the region should be notified if any symptoms of unnatural deaths emerge," Rani stated.
Kerala increased bio-security precautions earlier this month after the Union government announced that the disease has been identified in Bihar and some northeastern states.
